Viva la Holidays la Las Vegas
by Bob Wright
Summary: An attempt at an official third story in the main series. A class trip gone haywire strands Kevin and several classmates in Sin City. While wavering between enjoying the town and trying to get home, they get the chance to once again save the day against some familiar foes. NOW COMPLETED.
1. Kevin's Class Trip

VIVA LA HOLIDAYS LA LAS VEGAS

BY

BOB WRIGHT

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my essential attempt to do a proper third story for the franchise, with the classic characters whose presence was greatly missed after Lost in New York. With this year marking Home Alone's 25th anniversary, now seems a good time to go ahead with this.

This story is dedicated with love and respect to the memory of Christine Marie Gieseke, long distance friend and fellow John Hughes aficionado, through whose cooperation I was able to do the prototype of this storyline some time ago.

Home Alone and all related characters and indicia are registered trademarks of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation and the John Hughes estate. And now, as always, sit back and enjoy the story.

* * *

"I know your game here, Harvey; you've got your whole crew stashed in the back trunks of every car on the block here," Johnny the gangster sneered at his well-dressed rival standing in the middle of the snow covered street across from him on the TV set, "You was plannin' to ambush me and take all the dough yourself."

"That's a lie, Johnny; you know you can trust me," Harvey said quickly, nonetheless sweating.

"That ain't what your pal Codsy told me. I met him in his shower, and he blabbed everything," Johnny shot back, "You can confirm it with him right now if you want, right Codsy?"

He abruptly pulled a severed head out of the driver's seat of his car and tossed it at a wild-eyed Harvey. Watching the scene unfold on the bed near the TV, Kevin McCallister grimaced at the gruesome image. "How did that get back the censors back then!?" he wondered out loud. Nonetheless, he kept watching as several dozen mobsters now poured out of the car trunks Johnny had predicted and joined Harvey in the middle of the street. "Well, Johnny, you found me out," their leader collected himself, handing Codsy's severed head to a colleague, "But as you see, I have you outnumbered twenty to one. So you'd better start begging right now."

"Actually, Harvey, you're the one who should start begging," Johnny snarled cockily, "You may have bigger numbers, but I got bigger firepower. So here's how it's gonna go: I'm gonna give ya to the count of five to all get yer filthy, worthless, no good stinking hides off my territory..." he strode over to what seemed to be a snow covered car, and whipped off a tarp, revealing a very large artillery piece underneath, "...before I introduced all of ya to my howitzer!"

"They're in trouble now," Kevin muttered out loud, knowing full well things were about to get rather violent. Indeed, Harvey had turned very white at this abrupt reversal of fortune. "Very well, Johnny; you strike a hard bargain," he managed to mutter. He turned to his gang. "All right men...GET OUT OF HERE!"

The gangsters took off running as hard as they could all over the street. "FIVE!" Johnny roared, opening fire with the howitzer. Kevin covered his eyes, not wanting to witness the carnage, although the cries of the gangsters as they were mowed down still rang out loudly. He finally dared to look, and while the slaughter had stopped, Johnny was still firing insanely at every building on the street, sending bricks, glass, and plaster showering into the street...

"What's this rubbish you're watching!?" came the unwelcome voice of Uncle Frank from the doorway. Kevin's uncle was frowning at him with his hands on his hips. "Come on, Uncle Frank; it's not even rated R," Kevin protested, "And I'm ten now, I think I can..."

"Frank, come on, we're getting ready to go," came Aunt Leslie's voice from the base of the stairs. Uncle Frank gave Kevin one final frown before disappearing from sight-to be replaced moments later by Kevin's mother. "Are you ready, yet, Kevin? Your teacher said to be at the airport at six thirty, didn't she?" she asked.

"I think she said so-yikes, is that the time!?" Kevin for the first time in some time glanced at the clock on the nightstand, which now read 5:20. "I'll be ready in two minutes, Mom."

"Please do be," she advised him, disappearing from the doorway. Kevin started rummaging around under his bed for his backpack. His class had arranged for a trip to an elaborate Santa's village located somewhere west of Chicago. They had rented a plane for the occasion, and it would be leaving within the next hour. Kevin had been looking forward to going since it had been announced, as it provided a good close to the school year, which had ended earlier that afternoon with half a day of class. And with most of the rest of his family going sledding that evening north of the city, there would be no conflicts for him.

Grabbing his backpack, he bustled out into the hallway, not hearing the news report coming on the TV behind him, stating, "This breaking news bulletin: a snowstorm to the west of Chicago has unexpectedly intensified, and will be reaching the city within the next three hours; snow amounts have been upgraded to at least eight inches over the next twenty-four hours." All over the McCallister house, people were bustling about with great gusto, preparing for the sledding excursion. This year, however, that was the farthest they were going to travel for Christmas, as his parents had managed to convince his aunt and uncle that this time, they should just stay at home for Christmas. And after everything that had happened the last few years, he couldn't blame them; he'd had enough of Christmas mishaps himself. He started down the stairs...

When abruptly he was tripped and sent tumbling head over heels down it. "Uh oh, looks like you took one trip more than you needed to, Kev," came Buzz's snickering voice from the top of the stairs, "Got to be more careful."

Kevin's blood boiled as he jumped back to his feet. For all the lip service Buzz had made to him and their parents about treating him better, he'd gone back on his word privately too many times, including now. He turned towards the top of the stairs with his fists clenched...but then stopped and closed his eyes. _"Don't do it, Kevin,"_ he told himself firmly, taking deep breaths, "_You'll only get yourself in deep trouble like you did the last two years. Buzz'll get his soon enough..."_

"You OK there, Kevin?" his father had bustled over to examine him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad," Kevin told him, nonetheless shooting a glare at Buzz, whose face was now innocent at the top of the stairs.

"Good, let's get going then, honey," his mother had her coat on. "Be back soon, Peter," she told her husband.

"I'll be waiting," he gave her a kiss, "Finally, a night with just the two of us together alone..."

"I say you're a drip, Peter," Uncle Frank grumbled as he walked past, leading Cousin Fuller by the hand, "Leaving me to handle all the kids by myself..."

"Frank, we promised them after they requested time together," Aunt Leslie chided him from the door to the basement, "Help me with some of these sleds."

Uncle Frank growled softly, but shuffled over to the basement anyway. Kevin hastily put on his coat and followed his mother outside to the car. "You ready for this trip, Kevin?" she asked him, a strain of hesitancy in her voice.

"Have been all December, Mom," Kevin climbed into the front seat next to her, "I'm glad you agreed to sign the permission form."

"Well, I'll admit I had some reservations about it, but I know you wanted to go," she confessed, pulling out into traffic, "Just promise you'll call when you land back at the airport after the trip?"

"OK, if you insist," Kevin nodded softly. Part of him thought she was still too uptight about everything that had gone wrong the last two Christmases, but at least she wasn't preventing him from going, and that was all that mattered.

"What do you think you're going to get at Santa's?" she asked him now.

"I don't know yet," he admitted, "I guess it'll depend on how much it costs. I just wish the trip could be to see the real Santa, though."

"Well, you never know, maybe some day you will," she said, looking both amused and surprised, as if she thought ten was too old for a strong belief in Santa, "I guess your friends are all excited too?"

"Most that are going, yeah," Kevin nodded, "Alex was out sick today, and Miles already went back to Indianapolis with his folks to spend Christmas with his grandparents. The rest of the guys are all going though, and I can tell they need it," he sighed softly, "Nate's up in arms about becoming a big brother still, for one..."

"Oh, he's still not comfortable with it, is he?" his mother shook her head, "Well, I understand where he's coming from. Half your brothers and sisters were uncomfortable when you arrived...I think they've were uncomfortable when they all were born."

_"Tell me about it,"_ Kevin thought to himself; sibling rivalry was rampant in the McCallister family. "And Ethan's been bad all week," he continued, "His folks are splitting up. So he REALLY needs the time away, even if just for a few hours."

"Hmm," again his mother looked concerned. "Well, if he wants to sleep over a couple nights after the holidays, I guess that would be fine."

"I'll ask him if I get the chance. And Mom," he turned towards her, "Seeing what Ethan's going through, I am glad you and Dad are still happily married. I realize now how lucky I have it."

"Well, your father was the right man to come along for me, and I'm glad we've been able to stay together this long," she said with a smile, "And I want you to know, Kevin, he and I will always be there for you no matter what."

"I know, Mom. After you both went the extra mile the last two years for me, I know," Kevin smiled back at her; after his recent experiences, he'd had a greater appreciation for his parents.

The rest of the ride into the city was uneventful, and in no time, they had arrived at O'Hare. "Which gate is it again, Kevin?" his mother asked.

"Sixty-six," he explained, "Mrs. Ingram said to meet her at the Cross American concourse."

"Maybe I'm just worrying too much, but I still think I should have agreed to have chaperoned..."

"Mom, trust me, you ARE worrying too much," Kevin assured her, "I'll be fine; we'll all be fine. There's Nate now," he gestured at the car pulling up to the curb in front of them, "And uh oh, looks like he's still upset..."

Indeed, a harsh conversation was clearly visible inside the front seat of the car ahead of them. Moments later, the passenger door swung open. "...had it with your stupid baby this, stupid baby that!" Nate was shouting as he jumped onto the curb, "I wish she'd just go away for good-I wish you'd all go away for good!"

"Nathan James Ostrowski, I have had it with your attitude lately!" his mother's equally furious shout could be heard inside the McCallister's car, "When you come back, you're grounded until New Years!"

"Fine, maybe I'll never come back then!" Nate bellowed contemptuously, "Maybe I'll hitch a ride to the North Pole and live there! Maybe I'll actually be appreciated there!"

"OK, you're ground till the middle of January now...!"

"I HATE YOU!" was Nate's parting shout. He slammed the door shut and stormed into the terminal. Kevin grimaced from the intensity of the fight. "See what I mean, Mom?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I see," she nodded grimly. "Maybe we could have him spend a few nights over too after he's done being grounded."

"That would be nice. Well, I'd better get going," Kevin climbed out of the car.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" his mother got out too.

"Oh, oh yeah," Kevin gave her a parting hug. Except his mother seemed unwilling to want to let go. "OK, Mom, that's good," he protested, trying to pull away, "Mom, really, I'm going to miss the plane..."

"Oh, sorry," she finally let go, "I guess, after everything that went wrong at the airport the last two years..."

"Mom, nothing's going to go wrong this time-how could anything go wrong this time?" he posed with raised eyebrows, "I'll be back in less than five hours and safely back in bed, OK?"

"Right, right," she took a deep, nervous breath, "Well, good luck, Kevin. Promise you'll call when you land, right?"

"Promise, for the second time. See you later, Mom," Kevin started for the door. He didn't want to take the chance of her having a change of heart at the last minute and trying to stop him from going, as he'd long feared she might.

He bustled through the crowded terminal, searching for the Cross American concourse. "Kevin, over here," came the call of his home room teacher Mrs. Ingram ahead to his left. And indeed, he saw the rest of the Wilton Elementary School fourth grade class-both his own and the others in the grade, milling around by the window. He bustled towards the group, his eyes zeroing in on Nate in the corner, crying softly against the glass. Nate had long been his best friend, living only three blocks up Lincoln Boulevard, and Kevin hated to see him suffering as he was, even if he disapproved of the way Nate had handled the situated he'd just witnessed. "Hey there," he greeted Nate by the window, "Everything OK?"

"I wish this flight was to the North Pole, Kevin," Nate muttered without turning to look at him, "They barely even remembered I was going on this trip; they spent all afternoon on baby shower preparations. It's been nothing but their precious new daughter for the last two months; they don't even care I exist anymore..."

"I think you're overreacting a bit, Nate..."

"Am I!?" Nate finally rounded on him, "You're not there, Kevin; you don't know what I go through! They always told me I was their special child; now they don't even notice me anymore! I wish they'd all just disappear," his fists clenched in rage, "I wish they'd all just go away and never come back!"

Kevin gulped nervously. "You shouldn't say things like that, Nate," he told him worriedly, "I used to think that way, and it almost cost me big, remember?"

"Your folks care; mine don't, not anymore. You don't know how lucky you have it, Kevin, being the youngest. You don't have to get shoved aside when a new child comes," Nate started sobbing again, "You'll always be their special one."

"Not necessarily; I told you that...hold that thought, here comes Ethan," Kevin had noticed another close friend approaching, and although his eyes were dry at the moment, his face was contorting with misery. Ethan Rhodes was one of the smartest kids in his class-and as such had often been targeted by bullies (Kevin had personally witnessed him getting nailed over a false rumor that he'd worn dinosaur pajamas), so Kevin had sympathetically become close to him. "Evening, Ethan," he greeted the brainy kid now, "Doing OK?"

Ethan broke down in tears himself. "Sorry, sorry," Kevin quickly apologized, "They're fighting again, aren't they?"

Ethan nodded with another burst of grief. "I just want you to know, you're welcome over my place any time you want," Kevin put an arm around him, "Right now, you'd probably have to share the bed with my cousin Fuller, and that's no picnic..."

"Sure, Kevin," Ethan cut in quickly, "I'll go anywhere but there. It got...it got really nasty tonight. And since I messed up that social studies test, they started blaming each other over it, so this one's my fault...!"

"No, no, it's not your fault, Ethan; nothing's your fault," Kevin assured him, "I guess it just wasn't meant to be-sorry again," he quickly apologized when this made Ethan sob harder, "Didn't mean it that way..."

"Am I missing anything, guys?" came a new voice behind them. Julian Clark was Kevin's other close friend, and his wingmate on the Shermer youth hockey team, currently on Christmas break. "Oh, not too much, Julian," Kevin told him, pointing to Ethan and mouthing, _"Nothing about divorce,"_ to the newcomer. "Hopefully at least your day's been all right."

"Not really," Julian sighed, plopping down in a chair, "I had another fight with my dad," he admitted grimly, "He wants me to take up wrestling as soon as possible. I told him I'm only interested in hockey, but I don't think he cares. He can't distinguish me from Andy at all. I don't know why parents always think they know better..."

"Tell me about it, they always insist they do," Nate grumbled, sitting down next to Julian, "We'd be better off without parents in our lives."

"Nate, I told you, that's not the right thing to say," Kevin protested again, "I know for a fact that's not true at all."

"Well you've got the perfect family, Kevin; there's no fighting among your mom and dad, and they move heaven and earth to help you, like they did when you got left behind the last two years. Wish mine would go that extra mile," Ethan rued.

"Wish mine would too," Nate grumbled, "I wish we could just make them all disappear for a little while. Maybe that would teach them a lesson."

Kevin rolled his eyes softly. Apparently it was pointless to continue the conversation. His gaze fell out the window at the tarmac. "Is it snowing?" he frowned, seeing snowflakes starting to fall.

"That's nothing, Kevin; they were calling for a light dusting beforehand," Ethan told him, "We should be off the ground before it really sticks; probably only about fifteen minutes to boarding now," he checked his watch.

"Good, the sooner we're there, the better," Julian agreed, "I've got to get away from everything for a while, just like it seems the rest of you do."

"Unless something goes wrong and we get grounded," Nate muttered, apparently expecting the worst.

"Trust me Nate, nothing's going to go wrong," Kevin assured him, sitting down himself and leaning back in his seat, "What COULD possibly go wrong with this trip...?"


	2. An Escape and a Wrong Plane

MEANWHILE...

"All right, line up, men!" the head Joliet guard barked at the knot of orange jumpsuit-clad prisoners standing in the courtyard before the armored transport bus, "On board when we call your name. Lyme..."

"Right here," the short, bald man at the front of the line grumbled, trudging on board the bus. "Murchens," the head guard barked again.

"Huh?" the tall man with the wild hair and goatee further back in the line asked, looking up confusedly.

"Marv, on board, now," the shorter prisoner snapped from the top step of the bus.

"OK, back in the back, Lyme," the driver jerked a finger to the seats behind the bar. The prisoner sat down on the driver's side and stared determinedly at the other prisoners being loaded on board. Overcrowding at Joliet had recently led to a prison-wide decision to transfer several prisoners south to another jail near Carbondale. Two groups of prisoners had already been shipped out, and he and his partner had been chosen to be among this the third transfer...

"Well, here we go, Harry," the taller prisoner plopped down next to him, "So when do we make...?"

"Shhhhh!" Harry hissed furiously at him. After Marv had basically guaranteed that extra time would be added to their previous sentences last Christmas in New York by stupidly blurting out a spontaneous confession upon their arrest in Central Park, he wasn't going to take any chances of a repeat happening, not until his next plan came to fruition.

He turned his gaze back to the front of the bus. Once word had gotten around the prison grapevine that he and Marv would be among the next group being transferred, he'd taken care to get the entire group's identities. They had then all met during lunch earlier in the week and finalized a collective working agreement of sorts. The guards didn't know it, but they were now outnumbered, and the bus wasn't going to end up at Carbondale as planned.

Slowly, the rest of his accomplices filtered on board. First came the squat, weasel-faced Robert "Fingers" Hawley, a major Chicago area safecracker who'd knocked off numerous banks and jewelry stores before he'd been caught. Next was huge, hulking Lenny Snygg, alias the Bruiser Boy, a low level mob enforcer who'd specialized in making sure those in debt to the mafia paid up or else. Finally came long-haired "Switchblade Sam" McGurk, a former transient who'd rode the rails from town to town robbing everything he could, until he'd been caught down in southern Illinois after a run-in with a smart aleck kid-a fate Harry could sympathize with completely. Together they were now in essence the "Wet Bandit Gang." And if all went well, very soon they'd be working together to enrich each other...

"OK, that's everyone for this trip," one of the guards climbed on board as well. "Murchens, further in the back; no intermingling that close," he dragged Marv away from his partner and dumped him into another seat several rows back. "All right gentlemen, you're ours for the next three hours," he announced to the prisoners, "Everybody stay seated and don't do anything you'll regret," he hefted his shotgun to emphasize this point, then locked the door to the prisoners' section. "Take them out, Floyd," he instructed the driver, who pulled forward towards the main gate. Harry leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, wanting to savor his hopefully final minutes inside the too-familiar confines of Joliet. By this time last year, he'd been hoping the same thing after he and Marv had escaped in a massive prison riot and made their way to New York. But before they could leave the country, they'd run into...HIM. And thanks to Him, they'd been sent right back to Joliet in June after having been convicted of robbing Duncan's Toy Chest on Christmas Eve, with an additional twenty years added onto the thirty year sentences they'd already been serving for Chicago area robberies. Indeed, Harry's only regret was that, if the escape went perfectly, he wouldn't have a chance to get even with the kid. Oh well, he figured, one couldn't have everything in life...

He breathed a sigh of relief as the bus chugged out the main gate; part one was complete. Now they had to wait for the right moment. He glanced around the bus at the other prisoners. Each quickly winked at him in turn. They were all set. Satisfied, he turned to the window and watched the scenery go by. As time inched on, they moved past suburban houses, then Joliet's downtown business district, and finally took the turn onto the interstate. Harry perked up in his seat. Now they just had to wait until they were far enough out of the city...

The minutes continued to drag on. The Chicago skyline appeared in the distance, rose tall as they passed it, then receded. Finally, as the bus approached the airport, Harry knew it was time. He checked up front. The guard was having a casual conversation with the driver and not noticing his prisoners. Perfect. He winked at each of his cohorts, then turned to Marv and nodded. Marv, however, frowned in confusion. Harry rolled his eyes in disgust and mouthed, _"Now!" _ Marv's face lit up in realization. "Hey Guard, can we stop?" he spoke up loudly, "I gotta go the bathroom!"

"Too bad, Murchens, you should have gone before you left," the guard told him off curtly.

"I did; I gotta go again. Come on, stop the bus!" Marv whined, hopping up and down in fake agony.

"I'm warning you Murchens, you'll face a load of consequences if you don't sit down and hold it," the guard warned him, rising up and brandishing the shotgun.

"This is tyranny. We don't have to take this, right guys?" Marv asked the other prisoners, "Let's go on strike now: Attica! Attica! Alcatraz! The Bastille...!"

"That's it, sit down, Murchens!" the guard unlocked the door and stormed towards him. Harry ever so carefully stuck out his foot and tripped the guard when he passed the burglar's seat. He nodded to Lenny, who quickly pulled a lead pipe from under his pant leg. "OK Lyme!" enraged, the guard turned towards him, "That's...!"

He didn't get a chance to finish, as Lenny leaped up and walloped him in the back of the head with the pipe, sending the guard toppling to the floor. "Get the guns, get the guns!" Harry shouted, tossing the mob enforcer the shotgun, and pulling the guard's pistols out of their holsters. "OK pal, stop the bus right now!" he ordered the driver, leveling both pistols at him.

"No way!" the driver jammed his foot on the accelerator instead and reached for the bus's radio. Harry fired at the radio, exploding it in a shower of sparks. He then jumped aside as Lenny fired shotgun blasts at the driver, who managed to squirm around in his seat and avoid them-but in so doing lost control of the bus, which swerved off the exit ramp ahead of them, then zoomed sideways off the ramp and crashed hard into an electrical substation, causing blinding flashes of light and showers of electricity. Harry rolled hard into the door, but found himself basically unharmed. "Everybody OK?" he asked the other prisoners.

"Just fine, Harry," Fingers called out in the darkness.

"Good. Get the keys, and let's get outta here," Harry urged him impatiently. People would have seen the crash and would be coming to help any victims. "Hurry up, hurry up, let's go!" he shouted as Fingers fumbled around unlocking his own chains.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Harry!" the safecracker protested, but then tossed Harry the keys anyway. Harry quickly unlocked his own chains, then opened the door to the front of the bus. Quick, quick, and watch any juice out here," he warned the others, pointing at several sparking generators near the door. He checked the driver, who was slumped against the wheel, unconscious now. Perfect, he thought, jumping to freedom, his plan had gone perfectly...

"We did it, Harry!" Marv was ecstatic as he joined his partner on solid ground. He hugged Harry hard. "We're gonna be...!"

"Marv, let go now, or I'll rip yer lungs out," Harry warned him, shoving the keys into Marv's hands. Marv shrugged and started unlocking himself. "See Sammy, I told ya Harry knew what he was doing," he told the transient, who was next off the bus.

"We ain't clear yet," Sam snarled, snatching the keys off Marv, "I don't see an escape vehicle..."

"Wrong, there's our escape vehicle, Sammy," Harry pointed triumphantly at an airport shuttle not fifteen feet away. "Everybody double time, double time!" he barked at the rest of the gang, rushing out of the wreckage of the bus, "Fingers, you know how to hot wire these things; get it hot!"

He kicked the driver's side window in with a shattering of glass and pulled up the lock. "In, in, everybody in!" he threw open the van's sliding door. The convicts all piled in. Harry slipped into the front seat, glancing impatiently around the area. No sign of anyone coming, which was good. Perhaps no one had seen the crash yet...

"Harry, look," Marv was staring out the passenger window, "Looks like we knocked out all the power to the airport. See?"

Indeed, all the terminals appeared to be pitch black. But Harry had little time to contemplate this, as the sound of the shuttle's engine starting signaled the completion of Fingers's hot wiring. "Great job, Fingers. Move back, I'm drivin'," the shorter crook slid into the driver's seat and stepped on the gas. The shuttle zoomed out the shattered gate, across several lanes of traffic to the honking of horns, and back up the ramp onto the interstate. "And here we go!" Harry declared, jamming his foot down hard on the accelerator until they were over a hundred miles an hour, "Next stop, West Coast. And good work, gentlemen," he extended a hand for his partners to slap, "The Wet Bandits Gang is now officially in business."

"STICKY Bandits Gang," Marv corrected him, "We changed the name, remember?"

Harry ignored him. "OK, we'll ditch this baby once we're in Iowa, and get some new wheels and studs," he told the other crooks, not taking his eyes off the road, "Then we'll pull one last big job before we leave the country, and there ain't nothin' gonna stop us this time..."

* * *

"When are they going to get the lights back on!?" Julian protested in the pitch-dark terminal, squatting down hard in his seat, "And what's going on here in the first place!?"

"I have no idea, Julian, but I think they'll get them back on quick," Kevin tried to rationalize. He glanced around in the darkness. The power had gone out without any warning and had been off for about ten minutes now. All around him, total chaos was reigning, as regular passengers and airport officials were running pell-mell everywhere, trying to get everything straightened out. He could hear Mrs. Ingram somewhere behind him, trying to urge the fourth graders to all stay together. Hopefully, he thought, they'd be able to, as this had the possibility of portending something disastrous...

"I just want to be on the plane and out of here; now this has to happen!" Nate complained loudly next to him, "Why did I just know this was going to happen...!?"

"We'll take off, Nate, so just relax," Ethan assured him, "If this is just a power failure, they'll get all the planes off the ground as soon as it's back on-if they can sort out who goes where..."

Kevin's attention was diverted elsewhere nearby, by the sound of someone else sobbing. He recognized the voice, and could make out the silhouette in the darkness. Cautiously, he rose from his seat and crawled over. "Sarah, it's me, Kevin," he whispered softly, so as not to startle her. Sarah Tafton was in a number of his classes-and he knew she came from one of the poorest families in Shermer, living in a broken-down old house by the railroad tracks. Indeed, he could make out how shabby her clothing was in the darkness, and how malnourished she appeared; the Christmas season had clearly not been kind to her family thus far...

"Don't you like the darkness?" he asked her gently. A loud sob was all he got for an answer. "It's all right. Come on over with me; there's more light by the window," he took her hand and gently let her over back to his seat. "Hey, what're you bringing a girl over here for, Kevin!?" Nate protested the newest addition to their group, "She's not..."

"She needs company, Nate," Kevin glared at him. "There's no need to be afraid of the dark," he gently told Sarah, helping her into his own seat, "I realized a few years ago there's nothing to worry about."

"Bad people move around in the dark," Sarah mumbled worriedly, her eyes darting around the terminal in fear, "We were robbed in the night last year..."

"Well there's no one bad around here now. And I've come to see you've got to face your fears to be a better person," he comforted her. "So, anyway, are you excited to see Santa's village once we do get in the air?"

"I don't know," she seemed melancholy, "Santa never gives us anything anyway. I don't know if he's even real..."

"Believe me, he's real," Kevin said firmly, "When I asked him to bring my family home after they'd accidentally left me behind the other Christmas, he made the wish come true."

"What?" she looked puzzled and worried, "Your family left you behind!?"

"Not deliberately. If we get a chance, I can tell you all about it on the plane," he told her; she hadn't been one of the people he'd told his adventures to yet.

"And it's an interesting tale he has to tell too," Julian explained to her as well. "But seriously, Kevin," he frowned at him, "How can you still believe in Santa at ten years old? Half the rest of us knows he doesn't exist."

"And where's your proof he doesn't, Julian?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at him, "I know the ones you see in the stores and street corners only work for him, but just because they..."

It was at this moment the lights came back on in the terminal to a loud cheer from everyone. "Finally, thank God!" Nate exclaimed, jumping back to his feet, "Now let's get this show on the road!"

"Um, maybe not so fast, pal; looks like the computers are scrambled from the failure," Ethan pointed towards the check-in desks, where the arrival and departure computers were just booting back up, "It'll probably take them a while to get it all reset."

"I can't wait; I want to get out of here!" Nate whined.

"Relax, Nate, we'll get on board soon," Kevin tried to assure him. He glanced around at the group of fourth graders all around him, trying to be herded together by Mrs. Ingram-who was tapped on the shoulder by an airport employee and gestured towards the counter. "Now what's going on?" he frowned.

"Looks like something about the flight being switched due to the blackout; can't quite make out what they're saying for sure," Ethan squinted at the two adults.

"I want to hear this," Kevin bustled towards his teacher-but was cut off as a large group of passengers abruptly disembarked from a nearby gate, blocking his path. "Excuse me please, I want to get through!" he protested, trying to weave through the crowd...

"You there, young man," came another adult's voice to his right. A well-dressed man was towing a rack filled with luggage towards him. "You look strong enough; carry some of Miss Danielle's luggage for her," he instructed Kevin.

"Look, I'd rather not..." Kevin found he had no choice, as the man dumped several heavy suitcases into his arms. He staggered around, trying to keep his balance. "Thanks for volunteering, McCallister," a snooty girl's voice now chimed in behind him.

"I didn't volunteer, Danielle," Kevin rolled his eyes in disgust. Diametrically opposite of Sarah in almost every way was Danielle Lindhurst, daughter of one of Shermer's richest men. And she showed it now, for she was wearing a fur coat and several pounds of jewelry around her neck. "Find several other boys to carry the rest of it, Frain," she instructed her consort, "Tell them we'll tip good for it."

"As you wish, Miss Danielle. You there, come carry some of Miss Danielle's luggage too," the valet strode over to Nate and dumped several more suitcases into his arms. Like Kevin, Nate grimaced and staggered under the weight. "What is this!?" he demanded to Danielle, "I'm not a butler...!"

"You're here now, and that's all that matters," she told him off, "That will be all, Frain," she instructed the valet, "I should be back within four hours; have some additional suitcases ready for what I buy."

"As you wish, Miss Danielle; enjoy your trip," the valet nodded at her and bustled off down the concourse. "We're only going on a four hour trip; how much are you bringing!?" Nate continued protesting to Danielle.

"I always come prepared for Christmas shopping," she remained aloof towards him, "Daddy says I have free reign to buy whatever I want, so I always bring..."

"Quiet, quiet," Kevin waved her off. An announcement was coming over the PA system: "...all flights scheduled over the last ten minutes are now departing from their respective gates; this is final call for all flights over the last ten minutes." "So if we're switching, which flight is it!?" he glanced up at the counter, but Mrs. Ingram was leaving it, and he couldn't hear what she was saying to the rest of his class. And it became impossible to hear, for a very large group of people suddenly rushed full tilt towards the concourse, and soon Kevin found himself lost in a massive crowd. "Hey, hey, where is everyone!?" he desperately strained to look around, but the crowd was too thick to show any of his classmates-and it was only getting thicker as additional passengers rushed out of other gates. "Anyone!?" he called out, desperate to be heard over the cacophony. He couldn't be left behind again...!

"Nate!? Julian!? Anyone!?" he cried out for his friends, scanning the mass of humanity for a familiar face.

"Kevin, over here!" Nate was calling out to him. Kevin could just make out Nate's hand waving through the crowd. "Forget all this," he grumbled, tossing Danielle's luggage to the floor; she could carry it herself if she wanted it, he thought to himself.

He noticed Sarah to his left by the seats, also looking lost and worried. "Here, come with me," he took hold of her hands, "We'll find my friends and hope we know what the right flight is. Nate!?" he called out again.

"Here!" he could see Nate waving again. He pulled Sarah forward through the crowds. "Which gate, Nate!?" he asked when he was face to face with his friend again.

"How should I know!?" Nate complained, looking wildly around for anyone their age, "There's too many people here...!"

"Hey guys, over here!" Ethan was waving from Gate 69 further down the concourse. Kevin and his friends rushed over. "Is this the right one, Ethan!?" he grilled the class brain.

"I think so," Ethan said, but he didn't look one hundred percent certain, "I think I just saw Mark Flaherty and Mike Todd go in here..."

"Are you absolutely sure!?" Kevin pressed the point, "I don't want to get on the wrong plane two years in a row...!"

"Hurry guys, they're about to shut the door down here!" Julian shouted from up the gangway. Kevin glanced around the concourse, but still couldn't see anyone familiar in the crush of people at all. "Guess this is it, then," he reasoned out loud. "Come on, let's hurry," he told Sarah, still holding on to her as they followed Nate and Ethan down the gangway into the plane. "Take your seats immediately, please, the flight is about to take off," the stewardess abrupt cut him off when he tried to ask which flight it was. Shrugging, he rushed for the nearest open seat. "Well, we made it, I guess," he remarked, out loud, scanning the cabin for any more familiar faces.

"Yep, I think that's Mark and Mike up there," Nate pointed a few rows up. And Kevin did think the kids in question did look like his classmates. "Well, that's good, I think," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"McCallister," it was Danielle again, and she was frowning at him in the aisle, "Where's my beauty trunks?"

"Oh, nice and safe back on the concourse, Danielle. If you want them, go back and get them," Kevin smirked, glad to tell her off for once.

"How dare you, McCallister!?" she shrieked at him, "That was my personal...!"

"Please take your seat, miss; we're about to take off," the stewardess approached her.

"Let me off now; this riffraff left my luggage outside!" Danielle protested, pointing accusingly at Kevin, "And don't turn me down, my father's richer than you can dream...!"

"And I don't care how rich he is; take your seat now," the stewardess dragged her up the aisle. Kevin smiled in satisfaction. "She's asked for it for a long time," he told an equally smiling Nate.

"Yep," Nate pulled out his Walkman and put the headphones to his ears, "Let me know when we're descending, Kevin."

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Well, here we go," Kevin leaned past Nate to tell Sarah, "Trust me, you'll like what comes next."

"I hope so," she said softly, still not looking certain, "So, you said you'd been left behind?"

"Oh yeah. Well, it's an interesting story," Kevin quickly buckled his seatbelt as the plane started moving away from the gate, "I guess you could say it started two years ago. My family was going to Paris, and they were starting to drive me crazy..."

He was in fact so caught up in telling her the tale that he failed to notice the film now playing on the TV monitor above his seat, which was saying, "Welcome aboard Cross American flight 666, traveling non-stop to Las Vegas, Nevada. Please listen to these special instructions..."


	3. Viva Las Vegas

"Well, looks like we're going to get a little more snow than they called for earlier in the day," Peter McCallister proclaimed, looking out his front window at the increasingly strong snowstorm starting to blanket Lincoln Boulevard under a mantle of white, "Just hope Frank and the kids are careful coming back."

"I just hope Kevin can make it back safely," his wife mumbled from the sofa.

"He'll be fine, Kate, and you know it," he assured her, coming back over, "I think you worry too much about him anymore."

"Well, wouldn't you after what's happened...?"

"Well, first, let's get back to what we had planned in the first place," Peter popped the cork on a champagne bottle, poured two glasses full of it, and sat down next to Kate. "To us," he handed her one glass, "Finally a night alone, just the two of us again."

"To us," her expression brightened. She tapped her glass to his and downed the champagne. "Twenty years together," she sighed happily, "And it's been one heck of a ride-for better or worse."

"And I wouldn't want to have shared it with anyone else," Peter put an arm around her, "It still seems like just yesterday I saw the loveliest woman in the world in the Millikin library while looking for books for my accounting final and decided to ask her out. Best decision I ever made."

"Seems like yesterday, yes," Kate grew melancholy again, "It's gone by too quickly, Peter. Sometimes it seems like I was laying Buzz in his crib for the first time only hours ago; now he's going off to college next year, and Kevin's going to be entering his teen years before we know it. We're aging too quick; the kids are aging too quick."

"Well, that's the way it goes," her husband mused, taking another swig of champagne, "But we've got to let them grow up, Kate. And look at it this way; other than the last two Christmases, I think we've done a really good job raising them all. We should give ourselves credit; we've done good as parents-more or less. And when they go..."

Kate abruptly jerked upright, her face going taut. "Honey, what's wrong?" Peter took her hand.

"I have that feeling again," she said softly, her expression not changing.

"That we've forgotten Kevin? Come on Kate, don't let the memories of the last couple Christmases get to you," he told her firmly, "He's safely on the plane with his teacher and classmates; there's no..."

It was at this moment the phone rang. Kate's eyes grew wider. "Don't answer it, Peter," she begged as he rose up again.

"Kate, it's probably just Frank saying they're coming home early; now will you relax!?" he half-laughed, picking up the receiver. "Peter McCallister. Yes, Mrs. Ingram, I..."

His own eyes started going wide. "WHAT!? How!? Well didn't you...OK, calm down, I know this is upsetting for both of us, but...OK, we'll be there soon. Just keep looking till we get there, just in case you miscounted."

He very slowly lowered the receiver back onto the cradle, his own expression now numb. "Uh, Kate, you're not going to believe this, but..." he began, but was cut off by the rustling of Kate's footsteps as she ran to the window, clearly already knowing what had been said on the phone. **"KEVINNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"** she screamed at the top of her lungs through the window, her cry rising high over Lincoln Boulevard and echoing all over Chicago...

* * *

"...and so my Mom showed up at the Rockefeller tree, and we all reunited at the Plaza," Kevin finished relating his adventures to a wide-eyed Sarah on the plane, "And then I decided that for everything the pigeon lady did for me, she deserved the extra turtle dove, so I gave it to her. Then my dad got the room service bill," his expression crashed, "And to make a long story short, it was a pretty agonizing plane ride back to Chicago."

"Well, at least you saved the kids' money," she was visibly impressed, "Wish I could have the chance to do something like that."

"Same here," Nate remarked next to her, looking much more comfortable with her presence now, "I'd've given anything to have gone along with him on that. Several days without any parents would have been great."

"Well I've told you, Nate, it wasn't as great as it looked at first," Kevin reminded him firmly, "There were a couple of times each instance where things could have ended badly for me with no adults around. Believe me, I thought the way you do at first, but then I realized there wasn't nearly as much fun in the whole experience without someone to share it with. And while it was good to stop the Bad Guys each time, it felt even better to get my family back in the end. I didn't realize how good I'd had it until I'd lost them."

"That's your opinion; I don't care if I'd lose mine after what they've done to me," Nate grumbled bitterly. "But anyway," he turned to Sarah again, "We've been pressing Kevin to try and get his story published; it would make a great book, maybe even a good movie..."

"Nah, I don't think it would be interesting enough for a movie," Kevin shook his head, although he wasn't completely sure on this, "But since Julian's into writing, I told him if he wanted to look into it..."

"What about me?" Julian stuck his head over the top of the seat in front of him.

"Kevin's showdowns with the burglars; you said you'd take a crack at writing them, remember?" Nate reminded him.

"I never said that," Julian dug out a notebook and opened it up, "And as you can see, I'm busy right now with another story. Sir Ethelbert's quest for the jeweled wedge of cheese."

"You always did like the stories of knights and dragons and all that," Kevin nodded knowingly, "Let me have a look when you're done; maybe if..."

His eyes narrowed, noticing the time on Julian's watch. "Wait, is that right?" he frowned, staring hard at it, "It can't be nine thirty. We can't have been in the air that long...could we?"

"Huh?" Julian checked the watch himself. "That's strange, it didn't seem that long a flight," he mused, staring out the window, "I guess I lost track of time while writing..."

Kevin's gaze shot out the window. There was no snow below them, as would have been the case in Illinois-rather, there was sand, and seemingly miles of it. "Ethan," he leaned over the seat and stared firmly at his other friend, "You said you were sure this was the right plane. Is it!?"

"Uh..." Ethan turned to look out his window. "Uh oh..." he mumbled softly, his eyes getting wide.

"Uh oh what!?" Kevin didn't like the sound of this.

"The moon's moved backwards across the sky since I last saw it," Ethan admitted in a faltering voice, drawing quickly away from the window (Kevin knew he didn't like heights that much), "I think we made a huge mistake. We're heading west-far west..."

It was at this point the PA system buzzed to life. "Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we ask that you fasten your seatbelts and make sure your tray tables are in their upright and locked positions as we begin our descent into McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada," rang out the stewardess's voice.

"Las Vegas!?" Nate was stunned, "We got on a plane to LAS VEGAS!?"

"Vegas..." Kevin moaned softly, slumping back in his seat. It couldn't be true, he thought desperately; he couldn't have just gotten himself separated from his family for a third year in a row! That was utterly impossible...wasn't it...!?

He remained partially dazed as the plane touched down on the runway and skidded to a stop. "Kevin, you in there?" Sarah was whispering in his ear, sounding gravely concerned, "Kevin, what do we do now!?"

"Oh, uh..." Kevin snapped out of his funk, "Stick together above all else. Let's just make sure this is what we think it is." He glanced warily up the aisle. "OK, we know Danielle's on here too," he told the other boys, "Whoever's bravest, go break it to her."

"Let the witch find out herself, I say," Julian muttered dismissively.

"Guys, I don't like her either, but she's alone now too, so we're all going to have to stay together whether we like it or not," Kevin pressed him. Come on," he took Sarah by the hand again, "We'll go find someone to confirm this is Las Vegas."

"Kevin, how are we going to get back to Chicago?" she asked, looking quite worried. Kevin had no easy answer. There was only one good hope, he knew, threading his way quickly through the crowds streaming down the causeway to the terminal: that somehow this wasn't Las Vegas, and the people at Santa's Village were somehow playing an elaborate trick on the passengers...

Emerging into the terminal, he in fact noticed a guard standing by a pillar. "Excuse me," he walked up to the man, bracing himself for the worst, "Is this Las Vegas?"

"Of course it is, young man," the guard frowned, "Didn't they tell you that on the plane?"

"Yeah, they did. Thanks anyway," Kevin's heart crashed all the way down to his ankles. He slowly trudged with Sarah over to the terminal's nearest windows. Sure enough, the glowing lights of the Strip were plainly visible. "Oh no," he groaned miserably, slumping his head against the window, "I've done it AGAIN!"

"Well we just grab the next plane back, don't we?" Sarah asked him hopefully.

"Probably not without passports we don't, Sarah," Kevin admitted glumly, "And there may not even be a plane heading back to Chicago tonight..."

"So we're stuck here forever!?" the girl started whimpering, "I want my mommy...!"

"Hey, hey, don't cry, please," Kevin pulled her close, "I'll think of something, I promise. We'll get home somehow..."

"McCallister!" it was Danielle's enraged voice behind him. The rich girl was storming towards him with a furious expression. "How dare you strand me here in Nevada!?" she bellowed, giving him a shove.

"Don't blame me, Danielle; there was total chaos in O'Hare!" Kevin protested.

"Besides, you were dumb enough to get on the plane too, you know," Nate snickered as he and the other boys arrived at the window as well.

"Don't you dare call me dumb, Ostrowski!" she waved a threatening finger in his face, "My father can have your parents fired from their jobs in a heartbeat if I ask him too!"

"Not when they don't work for him, princess," Nate shot back.

"You just wait and see; I'll have...!"

"Quiet!" Kevin shouted to stop the bickering, "Like I said on the plane, we're going to have to stick together with this. Now let's all put any ill will aside and do the rational thing and call home to let everyone know where we are."

He scanned the concourse for the pay phones, and saw them against the far wall. He felt around in his pockets and found only one quarter. Well, he thought, it would have to do...as long as he could make the call count. He waved everyone after him towards the phones. "Julian, give me a lift up," he asked his friend, who complied. Kevin dropped the quarter into the slot and dialed his house number. _"Please pick up, please pick up!"_ he begged in his mind. Heartbreakingly, however, only the answering machine sprung to life on the other end. "Mom, Dad, it's Kevin; when you get this, I got on the wrong plane again. I'm in Las Vegas. Come as fast as you can; I'll be waiting," he left a message, hoping they'd get it soon. "Anyone got another quarter?" he asked the other children after Julian had lowered him back to the floor.

"Hold on a minute here," a wry grin was spreading on Nate's face, "What are we so worried about? Why should we have to rush to go home? We're here in a major resort destination; why don't we enjoy it?"

"Nate, think what you're saying; our families are going to be worried stiff wondering where we are. That's why we need to go home," Kevin frowned at him.

"Worried? You saw yourself at the airport that they don't care if I exist anymore, Kevin," Nate countered, "I say we go back when we're good and ready to go back; like you did in New York, I say we enjoy the town while we're here."

"Nate, you're not thinking this through rationally! This isn't some kind of game; this is a serious situation!" Kevin shouted at him, "And even if you and your family are at odds at the moment, we can't...!"

"Actually, I'm with Nate, Kevin; right now, I'm in no hurry to go home," Ethan spoke up as well, "Maybe if I'm gone for a while, they'll stop fighting and get back together for me..."

"Ethan, come on, you know that's not how...!"

"Sorry, Kevin, but they have a point," Julian spoke up as well, "Maybe my dad'll think twice about trying to force me to do what I don't want to if..."

"Stop, everyone, just stop!" Kevin slapped his hands to his temples, feeling overwhelmed and helpless. "All right," he sighed in frustration, "I suppose we COULD spend a little bit of time..."

"You won't regret it, Kevin," Julian commended him with a smile, "Besides, if it's nine thirty, it would be all night if they did come for us, and I don't want to have to stay here all night."

"Same here, not with the town waiting for us," Nate rubbed his hands eagerly and shouldered his bag.

"Just a minute again," Kevin raised his hands, "Haven't any of you guys thought this through!? Where are we going to stay for the night if not here, may I ask!?"

"Well, I guess we'd do what you did in New York and book a room somewhere..." Julian proposed.

"Which would be all good and well, Julian, except I lucked out in having my dad's credit card handy. I don't have it with me now, and I don't think any of the rest of you do at the moment either," Kevin frowned him down.

"Wrong. I know she does," Nate turned with a deep grin to Danielle. "Absolutely not!" she bellowed at him, pulling her purse away from him, "I refuse to share any hotel room with the likes of any of you!"

"But you do have plastic, don't you?" Nate continued to press her. Danielle growled in frustration. "Yes, daddy bought me a card of my own; it's signed in his account, and he's OK with me using it any way I wish..." she confessed.

"There, you see, and since it's his account, any transactions would be legal, Kevin. So what do you say?" Nate grilled him. Kevin put a hand over his face. "Well, if it would be a legal account, I guess it's the best we can do," he conceded, "All right, we'll do it-but first thing in the morning, we call home, all right? I'm dead serious here, guys, this is not some kind of game...guys!"

The other boys had snatched Danielle's purse and were running towards the escalators with it. "Give that back, you ruffians!" she shrieked furiously, charging after them. Sighing, Kevin waved Sarah to follow after them all. "I hope we're not making a big mistake not alerting the authorities that we're here now when we have the chance," he confided to her.

"Well, I would prefer a hotel to the airport anyway, Kevin," she told him, "Where are we going to stay?"

"Well," Kevin thought hard, "If everyone else agrees to it, there's one obvious choice for us..."


	4. The Walley World Resort

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Walley World, Marty Moose, and all related characters and indicia are registered trademarks of Warner Bros. Pictures. As I consider John Hughes's universe to be more or less completely interconnected, I reasoned it made sense to have a sort-of crossover here, especially for the story I wanted to tell. For readers' benefit, as with First Prize, the sympathetic character you'll meet here was written with John Candy in mind to play him had this ever actually been produced for the screen. Moving along...

* * *

"Hello, Marty Moose," Kevin exhaled, staring up at the cartoon legend's smiling face atop the casino directly in front of them. It hadn't been hard to find, with its elaborate castle turrets (done in a different style from the Excalibur, he'd noted when watching it's grand opening on the Walley Channel not long back, to differentiate between the two of them) and multiple construction cranes, still building the resort ever higher and higher. "Well," he turned to the other children behind him, "Last chance to back out if you don't want to do this."

"Walley World Resort, here we come," Ethan answered the question by charging full tilt towards the front door, everyone else following him at a similar clip. Kevin rushed to keep up. "OK, but let's not make ourselves conspicuous here, guys," he caught up to them by the door, "We are technically going to commit credit card fraud with this, like I found out in New York last year..."

"My daddy will vouch for me; the rest of you can go to jail for it," Danielle snorted, "I just want a roof over my head for tonight-and I'm getting my own room. I refuse to sleep with the likes of..."

"Sorry, but we're all staying together, and that's that," Kevin glared at her, having just about had it with her haughty attitude. "Well," he grabbed for the front door, "Here we go..."

The lobby looked just as impressive as the grand opening special had made it out to seem, with the rooms designed to look like an elaborate classic European chateau. Employees dressed in fancy European-style servant uniforms with oversized powdered wigs walked around everywhere, carrying luggage. It looked like a pretty full house, Kevin thought, taking note of how much luggage was being ported about. Hopefully there was an available room for them...

He saw the hotel's phone bank around the corner. He waved everyone over to it. "Remember, Kevin, best room you can get us," Nate reminded him, his eyes eager with anticipation.

"I'll do what I can. Quiet for a moment," Kevin dug out his Talkboy. He took a deep breath and clicked the play button. "Good evening, my name is..." he quickly turned to Danielle, who mouthed, "_Charles,"_ at him. "...Charles Lindhurst," he quickly continued, "I would like to order a room for my daughter Danielle and her friends, with two bedrooms, room service, and as many amenities within the price range." He paused a minute, holding up a hand to keep everyone quiet, then added, "Credit card will be presented at check-in. Thank you, have a good night."

He hit stop and rewound the tape. "Julian, another lift," he asked his friend, who once more hoisted him up to the phone. "Nate, quarter," he took one off his other friend, dropped it in the slot, and dialed. "Quiet again," he asked everyone. "The phone buzzed to life. "Walley World Resort, Las Vegas; how may I help you?" asked the lady in the reservation department.

Kevin pressed his thumb against the tape heads and hit play again. As had been the case when he'd checked into the Plaza the previous year, his words came out slowed down and sounding much more like an adult's. "Thank you sir; you'll need cash or credit at check-in," the woman continued in the gap between Kevin's words, then was given her answer by his second sentence. Kevin hung up the phone when it was over. "That's it, we're in," he announced to everyone, who started cheering. "Danielle, credit card," he extended his hand for it.

"No," she pulled her purse away with a glare, "It's mine, and only I use it."

Kevin rolled his eyes in frustration. "All right then, come with me to check in," he took her rather roughly by the arm and led her forward towards the front counter. "And for the record, I don't really like the way you're treating all of us," he told her off.

"If you think I care what you think, McCallister, you're wrong. It's you that needs to be put in place; I demand respect for who I am, and no one's giving me that, least of all you."

Kevin came to a stop; this was just about the breaking point for him. "Have you thought for a moment, Danielle, that maybe, just maybe, you haven't given anyone here a good reason to respect you!?" he had to restrain himself from shouting.

"Well they should, if they remembered who my father is..."

"Yes, your high and mighty father. And where's he now, given he apparently had to send a servant to send you off on this trip?"

"He had an important business meeting in Singapore, for your information; Frain was more than capable to handle the task at hand to get me to the airport. And if you're insinuating my father doesn't care for me, would he have given me this," she pulled out the credit card and waved it in Kevin's face, "If he didn't!?"

Kevin decided not to fight the matter any further. There was no point, he figured, when Danielle clearly had so small a grasp on what made for good parenting. He approached the front desk with her. "Good evening," he called up. The clerk, a nerdy-looking man in thick glasses, didn't notice him at first and continued filling out paperwork. "Good evening," Kevin repeated again, louder. This made the clerk jump in shock. "Um, can I help you?" he asked, confused.

"Reservation for Lindhurst," Danielle thrust the credit card at him. "Um, I'm not sure I can accept this, missy," he asked, glancing around as if looking for an adult to accompany them, "You know it's against..."

"Listen you, that reservation was just called in, and I demand you honor it, or I'll call Daddy and have you sacked faster than...!" Danielle started ranting at him. Kevin hastily pulled her away from the desk. "Let me handle it!" he hissed at her. "Um, less angrily, sir, it was our understanding the reservation was cleared," he told the clerk politely.

"Let me see here," the clerk typed some information into his computer, "Well, I do see the Lindhurst name here for a top floor suite. But why are the two of you doing the checking in?" he glanced confusedly at Kevin and Danielle again, "Where's Mr. Charles Lindhurst?"

"Um..." Kevin thought quickly for an alibi that would sell, "Mr. Lindhurst's on business at the moment, sir. He, um, took some of Danielle's friends along with us, sort of as a special Christmas gift for all of us, and told us to go check in to the Walley World Resort."

"I see," the clerk didn't look completely convinced, but Kevin gauged by his expression he'd probably done enough to make the attempt to check in work, "Well, inform Mr. Lindhurst when he does come in he'll need to verify everything; we can't count on the word of you tykes alone, you know."

"We'll let him know the first chance we get, sir," Kevin told him, his mind racing on how he'd be able to pull this off if it came to a head. The last thing he wanted was to be chased around by hotel security again. Hopefully, he begged in his mind, they'd be able to call through to home and be out of the hotel before the staff suspected anything was amiss.

Nonetheless, he breathed a small sigh of relief as the clerk swiped the credit card through the machine. "And I guess you're set, then," he handed Kevin a room code key, then rang a bell on his desk. "Evangeline, front and center," he called across the lobby.

"Coming Mr. Murphy," a large, rotund man in the European servant-style outfit can bustling over. Kevin momentarily couldn't believe how much this bellboy was a dead ringer for Mr. Ripley up the street. "Twenty-ninth floor, Room 90," the clerk instructed him.

"You got it, chief," the bellboy nodded. "Just you two tonight?" it was his turn to look at Kevin and Danielle with a surprised reaction.

"Um...just for now. Danielle's father should be in eventually," Kevin said quickly. "There's more of us, though," he waved to the other children by the phones.

"Well, the more the merrier, especially at the Walley World Resort," the bellboy laughed warmly. "Hi there, and good evening," he greeted Kevin's classmates with a broad smile, "I'm Sidney, and I'll be your guide to your pleasant lodgings here..."

"Evangeline, you know the boss says to cut out the dog and pony routine and just do the job," the clerk was rolling his eyes.

"Oh come on, Les; I think it adds to the flavor of the job," the bellboy protested. "Well, anyway, let me take your bags here," he took them off each child, "And if you'll just follow me, we'll get all of you bunkered in for the night."

He practically skipped towards the elevators. "So, where're you all from?" he asked the children.

"Chicago. We didn't think we're be staying here, Mr. Evangeline, but it just turned out that way," Kevin told him.

"Oh please, call me Sidney. The rest of the brass may think I'm crazy, but I think it helps the experience here to keep it on a personal level with the guests. And here we are. Let's try the old express 'vator to the top floor," Sidney pressed the Up button to the nearest elevator. "And let me just say, you all chose a great time to come here," he told the children with another grin, "I guess you've seen that Walley Pictures' big release of Jorinde and Joringal starts on Christmas Eve? They're going to have the world premiere here tomorrow night with all the animators and composers and everybody here for autographs and all; word is, even Roy Walley himself's going to be here."

"Nice," Kevin was impressed; meeting Walley firsthand had long been a personal dream, "And the film looks pretty good from the previews they showed on last week's Incredible World of Walley on ABC. It looks like a nice comeback after Green Willow fell a bit short."

"I liked Green Willow," Sarah offered up a defense of the picture.

"Nah, that was their worst in a while," Julian snorted, "Too long, too boring, and they changed the ending to make it happier, right Ethan?" he turned to his friend for a boost.

"Well, I had some doubts about whether they could pull it off," Ethan admitted, "That it was too obscure a tale, and that it couldn't be drawn out to feature length. And yeah, they did lose points from changing the ending-Green Willow died for good when her tree was cut down. Still, the designs of the tree spirits was pretty good, if nothing else. Jorinde and Joringal probably will do better, coming from a more traditional source from the Grimm Brothers' collection and with more of an actual..."

"Hold that thought, my man, here we are," Sidney declared as the elevator door opened in front of them all. "All aboard for the top floor!" he declared like a conductor, pressing the button for it with a flourish. "And pretty good recollection on the source for our latest feature; you know your fairy tales," he commended Ethan.

"Thank you, sir," Ethan blushed, "I do a lot of reading, and Julian here's into such stories. There's lots more from the Grimms' collection Mr. Walley might want to try if he'd be interested down the line; Iron John would probably work well, and I think The Six Swans or The Four Skillful Brothers could have some merit."

"Well maybe we ought to have you working for Creative, little guy," Sidney gave him a thumbs-up, "Half of the meetings out in California anymore, there seems to be a whole lot of friction when it comes to film scripts."

"And you know that, how?" Nate had to ask, looking skeptical.

"Well, confidentially, I have an inside source," Sidney leaned down to his level, "My cousin Russ works security at Walley World Park; he listens in and lets me know how everything's going."

"Russ," Kevin mused, "Mr. Griswold from up the street said he ran into a security guard named Russ when he visited the park a while back. Might that be the same Russ?"

"Griswold?" Sidney's brow furled, "You know, I'll have to ask him the next chance we get; that name DOES sound a bit familiar..."

A ding signaled their arrival at their destination. "Here we are, top floor," the bellboy declared, waving them out. He turned left down the hall. "Pretty nice," Kevin admired the tasteful décor, "You know, Sidney, I'm surprised Mr. Walley did decide to go into the casino business, given how hard he works to maintain a clean image," he admitted.

"Well, as I hear it, he was opposed at first, but the board swayed him into it. In fact, from what I'm hearing, the board's getting a bit more rebellious anymore," Sidney told him, a shadow of sorts falling across his face, "A few months ago, they hired Mr. Chuck Burke from Wall Street; I guess after Green Willow's failure to meet expectations, Mr. Walley felt he needed to start over by giving someone with a better business acumen some say. Only it's Mr. Burke's gone way beyond that; he's maneuvered longtime loyalists out, and seems to be pressing for a different path than the company's been on before..."

"And since my decisions have been for the best so far, whoever you are, I don't think you should be criticizing them," came a sudden harsh voice from the open suite to their left. A stern-faced, balding man strode out into the hall, glaring at Sidney. "Oh, hi Mr. Burke," Sidney gulped, "Kids, meet Chuck Burke, new chairman of the board of Roy Walley Entertainment," he meekly introduced them to the man.

"And what are they doing around here unattended?" Burke glared Kevin and his friends down, "I don't like seeing unattended children running amok..."

"Danielle's father booked a room for us," Kevin pointed to her, "He should be in shortly."

"He'd better be. And as for you...Evangeline," Burke read Sidney's name off his tag, "Be aware there ARE consequences to questioning sound investment. I have sunk tens of millions of Mr. Walley's company's money into this casino, money that would have atrophied if used otherwise, and it's returned a brilliant investment despite the old man's poor judgment. So if you value your job, you'd better respect the opinions of your superiors."

He slammed his suite's door shut and stormed up the hall. "As you can see, not the nicest guy in the world," Sidney pointed out the obvious to the children once Burke was out of earshot, "And since Mr. Walley sent him here to make sure the premiere goes well, you'll unfortunately be seeing more of him. But, anyway," his expression brightened again, "Looks like we're right here by your room anyway."

He took the key from Kevin and stuck it into the lock of the room two doors down from Burke. Kevin was equally impressed by what was to be their room; as requested, there were two separate bedrooms, and a large spa in the bathroom, not to mention one very large refrigerator. "This is a suite..." he declared, considering it even superior to the Plaza's best offerings.

"Look at these beds!" impressed himself, Julian ran to the nearest one and started jumping up and down on it, followed moments later by Ethan. "Yep, they are pretty good," Sidney smiled at them. "Well, there is the room service button over there on the wall if you need anything," he told the other children, pointing at it, "One special feature we've added at this time of year is holidays specials on demand; any special at all, just type it into the TV, and you can watch it free of charge. Plus, we have screenings of Marty's Christmas Carol on a loop down in the main restaurant any time you want to check that out."

"We'll keep that in mind, Sidney...careful there!" Kevin's call to his friends on the bed came too late, for Julian and Ethan had gotten too carrying away with running around on the bed and abruptly smacked into each other, toppling to the mattress. "Everyone OK?" Sidney rushed over to check on them, "Yep, you're fine, I can see. Well, since it's quarter after ten now," he checked the clock on the nightstand, "If you're interested, our special holiday nighttime parade starts in fifteen minutes down in the courtyard, followed by the fireworks at eleven. Unfortunately, the pool just closed, but it should be open at nine thirty tomorrow morning. Any other questions?"

"Not really. And thank you for all your help," Kevin commended him.

"Hey, helping others is the Walley Way, and I'm glad to be a disciple of the dictum. If you need anything else, just ring the front desk and ask for me. Have a good night, and enjoy your stay at the Walley World Resort," Sidney gave them all a parting smile before setting their bags on the floor and walking out. Kevin breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed. "We did it," he mumbled softly; now that they were officially booked in, he felt more at ease.

"Look at this view!" Nate was utterly impressed, staring out the window. And Kevin had to agree; the birds-eye view from the top floor was breathtaking-highlighted by the Mirage's volcano erupting up the street at the moment, and the Belagio's fountains putting on another water show. "This probably was the best we could do for the night," he agreed. "But understand, everyone," he turned back to his classmates, "We are going to have to call home soon and let our families know where we are."

"Later, Kevin, much later," Nate was still in glee as he swan-dove onto the other bed in this particular room, "Yes, yes, this is the life!" he exclaimed happily, pretending to breaststroke on the bed.

"I'm serious, guys; we're just spending tonight here..."

"Let's hurry; we'll miss the parade," Julian, despite his mishap with Ethan, was also on cloud nine. "And relax, Kevin," he took him by the hand and dragged him out the door, "We have all the time in the word for that. You only live once, so let's enjoy what we've got here."

"Well I...I..." Kevin thought of what to say, then shrugged. After all, part of him did want to enjoy the time they did have at the resort. _"Maybe I am pushing to end this too soon,"_ he thought to himself as he was dragged towards the elevators again, _"Maybe I should just relax and enjoy all this..." _


	5. Parade Chaos

"Are you sure you don't want me to call a doctor, Mr. McCallister? It worries me your wife's been out of it this long," the chief of security at O'Hare told Peter with a concerned expression inside his office at the airport.

"Not quite yet; she was out of it longer last year. Kate, honey, I know you're in there; it's time to come back, for Kevin's sake," Peter gave her a shake on the shoulder. Kate did not answer and did not make any response. She continued instead to quake softly in her seat, her eyes rolled back into her head and her mouth open wide, as she'd been since realizing Kevin had gone lost again. "Kate, I know it's terrible this somehow managed to happen again, but we're going to need you for this," he reiterated, shaking her a little harder.

Slowly, Kate's lips started to move. "'Everything's going to be OK, Mom,' he said," she whimpered weakly without changing her expression, "'Nothing's going to happen this year,' he said. Why does this always keep happening to us, why, why, why, why, why, why...!?"

She let out a loud, mirthless laugh before returning once more to her catatonic state. Peter shook his head softly. "Well, she'll snap out of it soon enough," he told the security chief, "So, for the record, how DID this happen!? How could he and all those other kids just disappear in the middle of one of the busiest airports in the world!?"

"Well, we're still trying to sort everything out, Mr. McCallister, like we've told the other parents who've gotten here so far," the security chief scratched his head, clearly unable to give an easy answer to Kevin's father, "That power failure we got was the first problem; that scrambled everything up. Once we got it back working again, we were way behind schedule, and the airport brass gave the order to send out everything at once so we wouldn't fall way behind."

"Why!?"

"Why, why, why, why, why!?" Kate moaned again, her head rolling around for a few moments before going still again. The security chief raised his eyebrows at her. "We looked at the most recent weather reports, Mr. McCallister, and saw the snowstorm to the west was going to unexpectedly intensify, which as you can see did happen," he pointed out his window, where the snow was now coming in torrents; indeed, at least eight inches had already fallen by now. "So management made the decision to get all the flights that were delayed by the power failure out of here as soon as possible so people wouldn't be stranded. We also got everyone that was stranded on the planes that had just landed before the power failure off so they wouldn't be stuck, so as you can see, it's pretty easy to see how he and those other kids could have gotten lost in the mass confusion."

"OK then, where were all the flights off the Cross American Airlines concourse going to at that time!?" Peter challenged him, "We'd really be able to narrow down where he and the others are if we can figure out which plane he got on."

"Easily done, Mr. McCallister; a quick check through the boarding schedule'll give us some answers," the security chief started typing some information on his computer...

...when suddenly it and all the power in the room went out with a low zap. "Oh great, another power failure!" the security chief roared, slamming his fist on the desktop, "Either they didn't fix the substation well enough, or this snow took out a power line!"

Indeed, another glance out the window showed the entire airport dark again. "Terrific, just terrific!" Peter threw up his hands in disgust, "Just when we might have gotten a quick break...!"

"Worst mother ever, worst mother ever..." Kate moaned out loud. Her husband sighed softly. "Don't worry, I'll snap her out of it now," he informed the security chief. He pulled Kate close and gave her a warm kiss on the lips. Kate responded to this by letting out an ear-splitting scream that threatened to shatter every piece of glass in the office...then turned to Peter with a normal expression on her face. "Did I miss anything?" she asked innocently.

"No, unfortunately not, honey," Peter patted her hand, "Good to have you back again, though."

"Back? Where have I been? And where am I? How'd...KEVIN!" she shrieked again, going pale.

"Now take it easy, Mrs. McCallister, we are working on finding your son as soon as possible," the security chief quickly assured her, looking worried that she'd do something dangerous, "Or at least we will once the power comes back on..."

"Well in the meantime, I suggest you round up all the gate attendants on the Cross American concourse and see if any of them saw him get on one of their planes," Peter suggested firmly, "And then call through to all the airports those flights went to so we can see if any of them are holding him and his classmates there."

"We will when the phones are back up, Mr. McCallister," the security chief held up his receiver, which had no dial tone at the moment due to the power failure.

"Just do it as quickly as you can. And for the record, my wife and I want to help directly to find our son, so we'd be glad to man the phone banks with you when we do have working phones again," Peter offered.

"We'll consider it, Mr. McCallister. If you'll excuse me now, I'll go check with the rest of security here and see what if anything they've found out," the security chief rose up from behind his desk, a frown spreading on his face, "If I may ask, though, how do you lose a kid three years in a row?"

"I'd rather not answer that, please," Kate held up a hand, looking green at the mere thought. The security chief gave a soft nod and bustled out of the office. "Do they have any leads?" Kate asked her husband once the airport guard was gone.

"Maybe," Peter filled her in on what little they did know at the moment, "But you know of course, Kate, this one's not our fault, right? This is completely a freak accident that just happens to correlate with the terrible mistakes we did make the last couple years..."

"Peter..." she cut him off, once more looking sick.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, "Well, on the bright side, at least we know he's not alone this time, assuming the rest of his classmates got on the same plane as him."

"Who else is here...just Mitch and Lisa?" she noticed the Ostrowskis on the other end of the waiting room outside the security chief's office through the dim emergency lights now glowing.

"Guess no one else could make it right now with the weather being what it is; I'm sure they'll come in once this storm finally does stop," Peter glanced at his watch, "And where's Frank and the rest of the family!? I left the note on the front door when I drove us here. Hope they're still holed up at the house. I'm going to try Leslie's cell; you let me know if any leads come up while I'm gone."

"Right," Kate's eyes drifted back over to the Ostrowskis. Once her husband was gone, she bustled over to them. "Lisa, Mitch, hello," she greeted them softly.

"Oh, hi, Kate," Mrs. Ostrowski greeted her through misty eyes, "Any new leads where Nate and Kevin might be?"

"Not that I know of," Kate shook her head softly, "This snowstorm wasn't supposed to be this bad," she pointed out the window at the falling snow, which seemed to be even heavier now, "And this is screwing everything up in finding them. How are you two holding up?" she asked the Ostrowskis.

"Not good," Mr. Ostrowski looked just as grim as his wife, "We flew like the wind here once we heard something went wrong with his trip. I mean, Nate's been upset ever since he learned he had a little sister coming," he pointed at his wife's large chest, "But we'd do anything for him, and to not know where he is, not being able to help him...it's excruciating..."

"I know; believe me, I know," Kate nodded knowingly. She took Mrs. Ostrowski by the hand. "When I brought Kevin here, I saw that final confrontation you and Nate had; is it really that bad between you?" she had to ask.

"I wish it wasn't," Mrs. Ostrowski sniffed again, "Mitch and I wanted the experience of holding a baby again. Nate's apparently thought that meant he was going to get shoved aside and not cared for anymore. He even screamed he felt betrayed by us the other night. We love him so much, he'll always be special as our first child, and to think the last thing I might have heard him say to me was that he hated me..."

She broke down sobbing. "I know, Lisa, I know," Kate pulled her into a hug, "We'll find him if we have to move heaven and earth to do it. I'm sure he's all right; Kevin's a survivor and he'll make sure nothing bad happens to him."

"How did you manage, Kate, each time you realized you'd left him behind?" Mrs. Ostrowski looked up at her, "What held you together?"

"The knowledge that I was going to get back to him by hook or by crook," Kate told her, "And wherever they are now, at least we know they're going to stick together until we can get to them."

"I hope so. Because it's driving me crazy inside wondering what he's doing now..."

* * *

"Come on, let's get this parade started," Nate at that moment was saying out loud in the courtyard of the Walley World Resort, staring impatiently up the well-decorated Victorian street before he and his classmates.

"Still about five minutes to go, Nate," Kevin checked his watch. He glanced up at the large Christmas tree in the center of the square. "It's still not right," he mumbled out loud.

"What isn't?" Sarah asked from next to him.

"There's no snow," he told her with a frown, "I hate having to be grounded in a place where there's no snow for Christmas. At least there was a big chance for that in New York; what are the odds of getting it out here?"

"You always were bent on snow for Christmas, Kevin," Julian half teased him, taking a sip of hot chocolate from the Marty Moose mug he'd bought at a nearby vendor, "Hope they do get started soon; the wait's a killer."

"Excuse me please," a man pushed his way through the crowd to the curb next to Kevin. Kevin glanced up-and recognized him at once. "Excuse me, aren't you Martin Walley?" he asked. Roy Walley's eldest son had made frequent appearances on his father's prime time program in recent years.

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes I am," the man glanced down at him. "And you are...?"

"Oh, Kevin McCallister. My friends here and I are spending the night here," Kevin dug through his backpack for a piece of paper, "If it's not too much to ask, can I have your autograph? I mean, you are a critical part of Roy Walley Entertainment, and everything it's done for American culture..."

"Well, you're the first person to ask me for one, but I guess I could oblige," Martin dug out a pen and signed his name to the paper, "I think you hold me a little high, Kevin, I guess you said, but I do appreciate the respect. Seems half the board of directors don't give me and my father any respect anymore."

"We'd heard about that when we checked in," Kevin told him, "Is it really that bad?"

"It is," Martin sighed glumly, "For so long, everything was going smoothly. Then after we had those couple of flops in a row, the board voted for change. Since then, Chuck Burke's been turning everyone against us, although he at least seemed to trust me enough to let me oversee this casino's opening. He was rather adamant about it, too, for some reason, which was surprising given it was his idea to open this in the first place."

"I wouldn't call all your films flops, Mr. Walley," Kevin assured him, "Green Willow kind of missed the mark, and last year's release of The Chimes was a little glum. But given how great almost everything else you've done's been, I think it's just by comparison to what's come before."

"Well, let's just hope Jorinde and Joringal can be a success. Can you keep a secret?" Martin bent down to his level.

"Maybe."

"Well, my father's thinking of retiring very soon. He just wants one more success so he can go out a winner, so hopefully this film will be that final triumph."

"Roy Walley retire!?" Ethan seemed stunned at the very thought, "Who's going to lead the company then, you?"

"I would hope so-my father's wanted it to be me all these years. But I have to wonder if Burke's got enough loyalists in place now to give him the top spot. And frankly, we've been having a lot of accidents here at the resort lately; I had no control over them, but I know it reflects on how my leadership might look to the board, so..."

"Excuse me please, coming through," it was Sidney now approaching the curb as well. "Well, you took my advice then, huh kids?" he greeted Kevin and his classmates warmly.

"We figured, why not, Sidney," Kevin told him, "Thanks for the tip."

"Glad to. And look who else is here; nice to see you made it too, Martin," the bellboy greeted Roy Walley's son with a vigorous handshake.

"I had to make sure everything went smoothly tonight, Sidney. I don't want any more mishaps like the other night's parade breaking down before it got started," Martin seemed quite worried.

"Well, I think they fixed that. Anyway, do you kids watch Splat Zone regularly?" Sidney asked them.

"Every weekend," Kevin told him; while he'd watch pretty much any game show that was in good taste, Walley Entertainment's recent kid-oriented offering was a personal favorite.

"Well, they're having a live broadcast tomorrow night at six. If you'd want to try out for it, show up on Stage 3 on the resort studio tour by eleven; they'll be taking potential contestants then," the bellboy informed him.

"Well that sounds quite interesting," Kevin nodded firmly. Perhaps it was a good idea to stay longer at the resort than he'd originally planned. "You guys up for that?" he asked his classmates.

"Not at all; that show is for the lower-minded, and I refuse to get myself slimed up or otherwise dirtied while acting like a fool," Danielle turned away from him with a snort.

"The rest of us would love to do it," Nate was excited at the prospect himself, "And because...OK, here we go," he rubbed his hands excitedly as the courtyard's lights dimmed. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Walley World Resort is proud to once again present for your viewing pleasure The Ice-Tacular Holiday Parade!" announced a peppy man's voice.

"They'd better not include 'Keep It In,' in this," Julian grumbled, "If I have to hear that song one more time..."

"Oh you don't like it?" Danielle turned towards him.

"No, and they play it too much on the radio anymore. Why...?" Julian got his answered as Danielle leaned into his face and practically shouted, "Keep it in, keep it in; don't let the world see your tears...!"

"Enough, let's just watch the parade," Kevin stepped between the two of them. While he agreed "Keep It In" got played too much since Green Willow's release last year, he was at least open to hearing the song. The first song that rose up, however, was an exciting tune that presaged, to loud cheers, the appearance of the parade's first float, an electric light-encrusted ice castle with Marty Moose, decked out in a Santa suit, on the spire. "Hello, Marty," Kevin waved at the company mascot. He glanced down at his paper. "And now I have the signature of the man Marty was named after."

"Yep, that's certainly worth something all right," Sidney leaned down to his level with another grin. "Merry Christmas Walley characters!" the bellboy waved happily like a big kid at the rest of the characters on the float-Steven Skunk, Orville Opossum, and Horatio Hare among them, Kevin noticed. He took note of the next float coming, themed, fittingly, after last year's animated feature The Chimes. "Not a bad design," he remarked out loud, waving at the man playing Trotty Veck atop the bell tower on the float.

"We did go through a couple of design phases for this one," it was Martin's turn to lean down to his level, "Fortunately, we've got a good group in Creative with Artie Ralks and John Trench in charge, and they whipped this one up."

"I never did like the bell tower goblins, though," Sarah was shrinking away from several of the performers playing the characters from the film who were skipping too close to where they were standing.

"They weren't bad at all-although some of what they showed Trotty in the future was a bit grim," Nate gulped, "When he saw his daughter about to drown herself, that almost had me..."

"Well that's what Charles Dickens originally wrote in the story," Ethan pointed out to him. "Any plans to do any of his other holiday tales soon?" he asked Martin, "There's still the other three besides A Christmas Carol that don't get done much."

"Not that I know of," Martin shook his head.

"There were others?" Kevin been unaware of this fact himself.

"Dickens decided to do a holiday story every year after A Christmas Carol was a smash success," the class brain explained, "He gave up after five years when they didn't sell as well, but besides The Chimes, he also added Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man to his collection. It was..."

"Oh no!" Julian groaned out loud, jamming his hands over his ears. For "Keep It In" was now blaring over the loudspeakers, heralding the arrival of the Green Willow float. Kevin was impressed with this float's slick Oriental-style design, which managed to blend well with its snowy trappings. He gave another wave to Green Willow and Tomotada on the float-and jumped as the evil tree spirit lord Kukaru's head jumped out from behind some trees and breathed fire at the happy couple. "Talk about unnerving, that guy was," he admitted out loud. "Actually, all your villains have been great lately," he commended Martin, "Ravanna in The Ramayana really scared me half to death, especially when he started growing all his heads and arms back during the final clash with Rama and Sita."

"Good to know, I think," Martin seemed unsure of how to respond to this.

"Hey, the best part of any Walley film is the final showdown with the villain," Nate said firmly, "And that was the best one yet. Although Vasilissa's clash with Baba Yaga wasn't bad either. You can listen again, pal, they're gone," he tapped Julian on the shoulder now that the Green Willow float had passed, "Looks like the new one's up next."

Kevin saw it too; the Jorinde and Joringal float was approaching now. It had the appearance of a snowy wood, with the main characters at the front, holding hands. Their de facto sidekick Gregory the owl hooted in a tree overhead, while behind them, sneering with a sinister grin and clutching several cages of her enchanted birds, lurked Jacosta the witch, who looked like she was going to be another candidate for scariest Walley villain, Kevin thought. He watched, entranced, as the float pulled alongside...

...when suddenly, there was a loud zap, followed by an explosion, and the float, now burning in the rear, abruptly veered off the street. "Watch it!" Kevin quickly grabbed hold of Ethan and Sarah on either side of himself and jumped out of the float's way just in time.

"Hold on!" Sidney's arms scooped all six children up at once. The bellboy leaped clear of the float, which roared across the courtyard to the loud screams of patrons and slammed hard into the wall. "Oh God, oh God, oh God!" Martin was practically hysterical at this rather dangerous mishap. He rushed over to the burning float. "Everyone all right!?" he asked the performers as they jumped off to the floor.

"We're OK, but I think we accidentally nailed a couple people," "Joringal" said breathlessly, pointing grimly at several guests lying groaning on the floor behind them in their path."

"What happened!?"

"I don't know, Mr. Walley," came the driver's voice from the small driving space near the front of the float, "The whole works just shorted out on us here!"

"Sidney, help me get these people to the medical center, stat!" Martin frantically waved Sidney over to him and the injured guests. Sidney set the children down. "You all OK?" he asked them with concern.

"We're fine," Kevin asked breathlessly, his breathing starting to return to normal. He looked at his friends, who seemed all right themselves.

"OK, just call if you need anything," the bellboy rushed off to help the injured. "What just happened!?" Nate spoke for everyone, "Are they supposed to break down like that!?"

"I don't know; Ethan?" Kevin asked the brain.

"Probably not, Kevin; floats don't just short out like that," Ethan shook his head grimly, "I think it was tampered with."

"Tampered..." Kevin mused softly. It appeared they'd just walked into something big. And his feelings had now started wavering back towards alerting his family where they were again


	6. A Parallel Plot

AUTHOR'S NOTE: All lyrics here and going forward are trademarked by their respective copyright holders.

* * *

"How'd it go, Mr. Burke?" Les the desk clerk leaned around the corner and signaled the Walley Entertainment executive down as he bustled into the lobby from the courtyard, where chaos could still be heard.

"Shhhhh!" Burke hissed furiously at him, "We can't talk here! Back here!"

He waved Les back through a door labeled EMPLOYEES ONLY in the rear of the lobby. He glanced around the long tunnel before them to make sure they were alone. "Better than I thought," he whispered softly, a dark grin on his face, "Walley Junior's going to take a load of heat for this happening on his watch."

"With all due respect, Mr. Burke, wasn't this going a bit too far?" Les asked, looking quite nervous, "I can understand breaking a couple of the rides, but this could really have hurt someone. And what if they trace it back to us...?"

"They can't pin anything on us, Murphy, so get a spine," Burke assured him firmly, "And if I'm to get the support of the full board, the Walleys have to look bad. What's the latest report from back in L.A.?"

"I gave them a call, sir; Silver's still holding out strong. He's got Waltman and Porter still with him. Everyone else is prepared to accept you as the new company president if Walley does step down."

"Good, good. Now we just have to go for the neckbreaker," Burke practically skipped down a flight of stairs towards the basement of the hotel.

"Mr. Burke, with all due respect, why do we have to do it this way? I mean, why not just buy Roy Walley out if you want the company?" the clerk had to ask.

"You know full well the old fool'll never sell, Murphy," Burke rounded on him, "He and his family'll hold onto this billion dollar company until the day they die. They see tradition, I see mass profit, and by God I'm going to get that profit any way I can. So we have to discredit the Walleys, so...ah, Mr. Stone," he approached a stern-faced man in a formal suit with the title CHIEF OF SECURITY on his lapel tag standing in front of the large vault in front of them, "Very good work with this later mishap."

"It can't be traced to us, can it?" Les nervously asked the security chief.

"No one will know what caused the crash," Stone said without a trace of emotion, "For your information, Mr. Burke, almost three quarters of the security staff will be all right with the next phase, if we choose to go to it," he informed the executive.

"Wonderful, wonderful," Burke rubbed his hands eagerly. He approached the vault, "Yes, Mr. Stone, we are going ahead with the final phase on Christmas Eve," he told the security chief, "Make sure all of your men that aren't fully committed to us are relocated off the property by the scheduled time. Have the rest form a perimeter so no one comes in to interfere. Then, we break open this vault, take out at least half the casino money, and take it where no one can immediately find it. Then we dump some of the cash and the tools used for the break-in on sonny boy; once that hits the news, both he and the old fool are guaranteed to be forced out in shame, and the company'll be mine to exploit as I see fit. No more of this kiddie rubbish under my watch; I'm taking Walley adult, because that's what sells."

He snickered softly at his grand scheme. "Of course, sir, we'll have to get some outside muscle to do the actual robbery, so that can't be traced to us either," Les pointed out, "Any luck finding anyone, Mr. Stone?" he asked the security chief.

"Not yet, but we're looking," Stone told him, "The right people should come to us in time."

"Good," Les breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, and before I forget, Mr. Burke, earlier tonight, a couple kids came in wanting a room; the credit card they used checked out, but something doesn't seem right. I think we should look into it."

"Hmm," Burke mused, "I think I know who you mean, Murphy. Well, I think it may indeed be worth examining more closely..."

* * *

"You know, all the time I've seen this, I still can't understand how a mouse climbing around in a clock would be enough to break it this bad," Nate remarked, pointing at the TV screen in the hotel room, where Joshua Trundle's Santa clock was now imploding due to Albert the Mouse's unintentional meddling.

"I'm guessing he unscrewed a critical junction point or something, and that set off a chain reaction," Julian proposed next to him, "Or maybe the clock was made badly in the first place; it wasn't Joshua's original clock anyway."

"Nah, the clock was fine. Albert must have tripped a critical...Ethan, you all right?" Kevin asked the brain with concern. Apparently the scene on now, with the mayor of Junctionville sternly refusing Trundle's request to fix the broken clock, was having an effect on Ethan; he was doubled forward with his eyes squinted shut and his hands over his ears. Kevin walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Ethan, you all right?" he asked again, louder. There was a pained look on Ethan's face when he looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said out loud, but he gestured for Kevin to follow him towards the bathroom, then shut the door when he was inside. "They turned on him for one little mistake," he mumbled softly, pointing through the wall at the TV, "Whenever I see that happen, like now, I feel I really need to keep getting straight As. My parents want me to keep getting straight As; I can't make mistakes..."

"Did they tell you that's what they want?" Kevin had to know.

"I can see it in their eyes; they want to hold me up as their perfect child. And when I do mess up, like I did with that math test a few weeks back, they go off the handle," Ethan confessed, fear in his eyes, "I hate it when they get mad over anything; maybe that was what drove them to divorce..."

"Hey, I thought I told you that wasn't your fault," Kevin put both hands on his friend's shoulders, "And you don't have to be perfect, Ethan; I like you as a friend the way you are. And besides, it's only a TV special; if the town of Junctionville chose to treat the Trundles badly, that was their decision. That's probably why Santa seems to have only given Joshua's family presents in the end. A show shouldn't reflect on you."

"I know, it's just...this part of the special always makes me uncomfortable," the brain said softly, his face slowly returning to normal, "It seems to send the message you will get turned on if you fail."

"Hey, real friends never turn on each other," Kevin assured him, "Trust me on that. I'll be there for you no matter how bad things get for you at home. Well, while we're in here, I'd like to go, you know."

"Right," Ethan glanced out the door, checking to make sure the discomforting moments were past. Nodding, he walked out. Kevin quickly took care of business-then made another decision. Seeing a phone just outside the bathroom door, he reached out and pulled it inside, then started dialing his home number. _"Come on, Mom, Dad, please pick up!"_ he thought furiously in his head.

The only thing that came on the other end of the line, however, was a recorded message: "Due to the snowstorm, all lines for Chicago are currently out of order. Please call back at a later time." "Great!" Kevin muttered, jamming the receiver back down on the cradle. Now the weather was conspiring against him calling home. And that meant it appeared they were basically stuck at the resort for the time being-although, accidents aside, that might not have been a bad thing...yet.

Slipping the phone gently back out on the table, he bustled back into the bedroom; Twas the Night Before Christmas had long been high on his list of Christmas specials, and he hated to miss the end. And indeed, he found himself breaking back into song with everyone else as Santa returned to Junctionville to the strains of the fixed clock: "Come on old Kris Kringle, down the Milky Way; Christmas chimes are calling, Santa, we need you today!" He turned to Ethan once Santa started delivering the Trundles' presents and gave him a wink; Ethan in turn managed a thumbs-up at him. All was at least well at the moment.

"That never fails to be good," Nate commented once the special was over, yawning, "And, I guess it's time to turn in for the night."

"Is it quarter to midnight already?" Julian seemed surprised at the time on the nightstand clock, "Well, it has been a long day. Might as well hit the sack, yeah."

"Don't any of you bother me while I do try and sleep," came Danielle's warning from the adjoining room; she had chosen not to watch the special with the others, likely out of scorn.

"Same for you, princess," Nate shot back at her, drawing the room blinds. "Here we go, a big, comfy bed," he mumbled excitedly, kicking off his shoes and climbing up into the bed closest to the window. Kevin did the same and switched off the light. _"Let me get_ _a good night's sleep and put this behind me for now_," he thought softly to himself.

Only, for whatever reason, he couldn't. As the minutes started dragging on and on in the dark, he lay there, his mind racing with thoughts of home, and how worried his family no doubt was for him. The first time he'd been separated from them, he wouldn't have cared what they'd've felt; now, however, part of him felt guilty for this happening again, even though it was an accident. _"I'm_ _sorry, Mom, Dad,"_ he thought grimly, _"I had no control over this one. I'm doing what I can to try and get back to you. But if you can come to me, please do." _

Time continued dragging on. Eventually, at about quarter to one, he heard Nate get up next to him and go to the bathroom. When he was done, though, his friend instead went to the window and stared out it. Kevin slipped out of bed and joined him there. "Can't sleep anymore?" he asked Nate.

"Just taking it all in," Nate said without looking at him, "Freedom, from the top of the world. It never felt so good. Now that I'm gone, maybe they'll realize I'm worth more than their stupid baby and beg me to come back."

Kevin sighed again. "Well, I'm sure they ARE worried about you, Nate," he said softly, "And I think maybe they'd be here in a flash once they realize where we are."

"I doubt it," Nate mumbled bitterly. Kevin decided not to push the point any further at the moment. "I do like the view, though," he said, looking down at Vegas after dark.

"And tomorrow, we hit the Strip and hit it hard," Nate rubbed his hands eagerly, "Take Danielle's credit card and just get as much in as we can..."

"Well let's not get carried away," Kevin warned him, "We don't want to end up in deep debt; then our parents'll really kill us when they get here. When I was in New York, I took care to keep it within reason even with a credit card and lots of cash at hand."

"Hey, you only live once, I say, so live it up," Nate didn't care. He finally turned towards his friend. "Was it like this in New York at the Plaza?" he asked sincerely, "The same feeling of being special, being above it all?"

"Kind of," Kevin admitted, "It was overwhelmingly good to be in such rich surroundings. But you know what it also felt like, Nate? Lonely. Being up that high and unable to share it with anyone. So one thing I can say about this time is that I can share it with someone else. And Nate," he looked his friend right in the eye, "To be honest, there's no one I'd rather share it with than you. We might have a different idea about the situation, but I'm so glad you're here with me now."

"Really?" Nate looked touched.

"Really," Kevin nodded, putting a hand on Nate's shoulder, "Since we moved onto Lincoln Boulevard when I was three, I've always considered you my special best friend. And I appreciated it so much during the time when I didn't like my family as much when I could come over your place and get away from them. I appreciate that you'd always want to play with me at recess, that you'd always want to sit with me at lunch, that you'd come over so often and give me an outlet away from Buzz or one of the others being hard on me. When I was in New York, I wished that you'd be there with me more than anyone. Because I don't feel alone at all when my best friend's with me."

Nate blushed, deeply appreciative of the praise. There then came a creaking on the floor behind them, making both boys turn. "Can't sleep either, Sarah?" Kevin noticed her standing in the space between the boys' and girls' bedrooms, "Come on over."

Sarah joined them at the window. "I don't want to go to sleep," she confessed softly, "To have a big, soft bed like this-I'm afraid I'll wake up and be right back home and poor again."

"Well it's not a dream, Sarah; we've got the high life now, and you, me, Kevin, and everyone's going to enjoy it while we have it," Nate encouraged her.

"I'd like to. It feels good to be out of the dumps for once. I finally feel like someone," she said, staring out the window, "I feel like a queen up here."

"You don't have to be rich to be a queen, Sarah. You seem like one just as you are," Kevin told her, "Take a look at Danielle; she's got the money, and not much else."

"Yeah, she seemed uncomfortable to be sharing a bedroom with me, and let me know as much," Sarah admitted. She turned to him. "And while I'm here, I want to thank you so much, Kevin."

"For?"

"For treating me so well tonight," she gave him a hug, "Everyone puts me down for being poor; no one's wanted to be friends with me before. They only see the state of my clothes and think I'm not worth it. You're the first person to treat me well other than my mom."

"Don't mention it," Kevin hugged her back in turn, "Every person, counts, Sarah, not least of all you. Not least of all the pigeon lady in New York, even though she doesn't have a cent. If she's worth it, you certainly are. And no matter how long we are here, I hope you do enjoy yourself. And when we do get back to Chicago, I'll still be there for you, promise."

"Thank you, Kevin," she repeated, grateful.

"Sure thing. Say, for starters, if we do try out for Splat Zone tomorrow, how about you be on the team with us? That should make you feel important, being on live TV and all."

"We don't have the Walley Channel at home; my mom can't afford it working as a kitchen aide," she admitted glumly.

"Well, I'm sure somebody'll tape it for you. And if we win, you'll really be a star."

"Um, not to put her down, Kevin, but you know how physical Splat Zone is," Nate pointed out, "Do you think she can handle the second round challenges?"

"I'd like to try," Sarah seemed determined now.

"And I'm sure you'll do well," Kevin told her warmly, "We'll try and arrange partners for each challenge so it works best for you."

He yawned again. "Well, now I really am getting tired," he confessed.

"Me too," Nate started back to their bed, "I want to be wide awake when we hit the town running."

"Or come what may," was the best Kevin could say in response. "Have a good night, Sarah," he told her in parting, "And remember how important you are; if Vasilissa the Beautiful could go from being a peasant girl, defeat Baba Yaga, and win the tsar's love, you can do the same, in essence."

"Vasilissa the Beautiful's my favorite Walley film," she was smiling. She turned and left the boys' room. Kevin hopped back into bed himself. "And you know what's also great about this, Nate?" he told his friend as he pulled up the blankets and rolled over, "the Bad Guys aren't here..."

* * *

"Hello, Nebraska," a sleepy-eyed Marv took note of the road sign zipping by the RV that the new Wet Bandits Gang had filched in Cedar Rapids at over a hundred miles an hour. Harry had more or less been doing a hundred since leaving Chicago, and to their great luck, they hadn't been pulled over yet.

"Yep, I'd say we're makin' great time all right, Marv," Harry said, his eyes still fixed on the interstate.

"So where're we goin' now that we're out, Harry?" his partner asked.

"I got a plan, Marv, a big one," Harry said softly, "One I think the guys'll like when they wake up in the morning," he gestured back at their new gang, sound asleep in the back of the shuttle, "Because by this time tomorrow, we'll be in Vegas."

"Oh boy, a casino job!" Marv rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Yep, I figured we earned one really big score before we left the country," Harry nodded, "What better way to earn that then by knocking off a casino? Hundreds of millions of big bucks, soon to be at our fingertips. So look out, Sin City," he pressed his foot down even harder on the accelerator, "We're coming right for ya."


	7. Calm Before the Storm

"Sir, anything new!?" Peter grilled the security chief as he came back up the hall towards the waiting room, "Are the phones back up yet!?"

"We're still working on it, Mr. McCallister," the security chief said calmly, "A couple of gate attendants might have seen a boy that looked like your son; problem is, they were at four separate gates, so it's going to take some time to figure out whose story is the most accurate. The phones look to be just about fixed, so we should be able to call the airports he may have gone to soon. I'll have to ask, though, that you and your wife stay patient; this will take a lot of time."

"I'm trying, believe me, I'm trying, even though it's hard," Peter told him, his face nonetheless wracked with anxiety, "And I thank you for sending out the shuttles to get the rest of my family here; it's best if we're together. Again, once the phones are fixed..."

"Yes, yes, I know, Mr. McCallister; you and your wife can work the phones, if you accept we'll be in charge of everything. Excuse me, I've got more interviews to do," the security chief bustled away down the hall. Peter looked out the nearest window, where dawn had broken over the airport, but the snow was still coming in buckets; he guessed it was now a good twenty inches, which meant that even if they found where Kevin had gone soon, there was no way they'd be able to get to him until the runways were cleared, which probably would take all day. "We're trying, Kevin; don't lose hope," he said softly, hoping his youngest child could somehow hear him wherever he was.

With a low sigh, he walked back into the waiting room, where Kate was now seated next to a newer arrival. "Peter, this is Rachel Tafton; her daughter Sarah was one of the kids who went missing with Kevin," she introduced the newcomer to him.

"Nice to meet you, and sorry we have to meet like this," Peter shook her hand, "No news to report at the moment, but they're working on looking for your daughter. You doing OK?"

"No," Mrs. Tafton shook her head; it was clearly she had been crying hard at some point in the recent past, "Sarah's the only thing that matters to me, the only thing that gets me through each miserable day, and if I lose her, I don't know what I'll do."

She hung her head. "Sarah was so looking forward to this trip. She appreciates anything that gets her away from the dump we have to live in. You can only guess how it feels to be stuck in abject poverty with no way out. Ever since her father was murdered when she was four, we've had no way to go up. I've given everything I had for her, but it's hard when you can't get more than minimum wage. I just feel guilty that this had to happen on a night she was supposed to be happy, and here I am, powerless to bring my little girl back..."

"It's all right, it's not your fault," Kate hugged her close, "We know how you feel; we've," her face contorted uncomfortably, "We have experience misplacing Kevin, unfortunately. This is the...is the...is the..." she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Uh, what my wife's trying to say is, we've lost track of Kevin three years in a row now," Peter picked up, looking uncomfortable himself at their past mistakes, "It's almost a McCallister family holiday tradition for..."

"Peter!" his wife cut him off again, pain on her face. Mrs. Tafton's face looked stunned. "Three years in a row? How does that happen?" she had to ask.

"It's, um..." Kate's attention was diverted as another new arrival came into the waiting room. "Janice, good, you made it," she greeted Ethan's mother.

"Kate," Mrs. Rhodes rushed to her, also looking worried, "I would have been here sooner, but with this blizzard running...thank God the airport sent the shuttle...any news on Ethan!?"

"Nothing concrete, but we're working on it; there are a few leads," Kate informed her, "Rachel Tafton's daughter," she pointed at Mrs. Tafton, "disappeared with Ethan and Kevin and the other missing kids, so if they..."

The waiting room door swung open again. "Sorry I'm late," Kate recognized Mr. Rhodes as entering the room now, "What's the latest on...!?"

"How dare you show up here!?" Mrs. Rhodes' expression darkened substantially, "You have no right to show up here after what you've done to Ethan and me with your cheating around...!"

"He's still my son, Janice, and you have no right to block me from him!" Mr. Rhodes was just as enraged with her, "And don't think I haven't known about you sleeping around with every man you've come across!"

"So what if I have!? You've done it more, and I will not let Ethan be hurt by you any longer!"

"Oh I've hurt him!? What about you ripping him up for bombing on that test recently!? You call yourself an upstanding mother after that!? I was willing to be reasonable with him...!"

"You stayed quiet then to make me look bad, Allen, just like you always do!" she roared in his face, "You're so bent on making me the heavy to him, you'll do anything! Well when do find him, he's staying with me, and I'll get a restraining order filed on you...!"

"You get the damn restraining order, and I'll press kidnapping charges, Janice!" he roared back, "You want to play dirty, I'm game!"

"I know you are, you cheating coward!" she gave him a hard shove.

"And you're unfit to be Ethan's mother, you slut!" he shoved her back.

"You come near my son again, and you're a dead man, you piece of...!"

"STOP, JUST STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Kate bellowed, jumping between the two of them, "I don't care which of you did what to who; your son is missing, and both of you should be working together on that, even if your marriage is over!"

"I'm not doing anything with her!" Mr. Rhodes jerked an accusing finger at his soon to be ex-wife, "I'll find Ethan myself, without her help or anyone's help, and when I do, I'm filing for full custody and...!"

"You file for his custody and I'll make sure you never hold another job as long as you live!" Mrs. Rhodes threatened back.

"You can't do that and you know it! And by the way...!"

"I SAID STOP!" Kate slapped both of them in turn, "If you're both going to act like this, then you should both leave! If you're not willing to put Ethan first, neither of you is fit to be his parents!"

"My wife's right," Peter joined her, glaring sharply at both Rhodeses, "This is no time for personal problems. Your son should trump all of that, and if you can't do that, then frankly neither of you belong here."

"You're right, you're right," Mrs. Rhodes took a deep breath, "Ethan comes first. And I'll put everything into finding him. But not with him," she turned her back to her husband.

"Good, because I don't need you, Janice," he did the same, "I only need Ethan, and I'm getting him now."

He stormed out of the waiting room. "You can go to hell, Allen!" Mrs. Rhodes shouted after him. "Sorry, but it's been rough the last few weeks," she admitted to Peter and Kate, "I can guess Ethan appreciates getting away from everything Allen's put us through."

"I can tell," Kate said grimly, "But I don't think Allen's the only one at fault."

"Don't blame me, Kate; he's the one who slept around on me and Ethan like there was no tomorrow," Mrs. Rhodes refused to let go of the vendetta, "Because of that, Ethan's grades have suffered..."

"You know what, we don't want to hear it, because like we said, it's not important right now," Peter coldly cut her off, "You're still not putting your son first."

"I'm just saying it like it is...Kate, you know it is!" her pleas fell on deaf ears, for the McCallisters were walking away from her. "Right now I feel soooo glad we have what we have, Peter," Kate told him gratefully.

"So do I," he pulled her close and gave her a kiss, "For all the mistakes we've made, at least we haven't become them."

"Mr. McCallister, just want you and everyone to know, the phones are back up now," an airport security guard stuck his head in the waiting room doorway.

"Good, finally," Peter breathed a sigh of relief, "Listen, I wasn't able to get through to the rest of our family last night; I'd like to call them first and make sure the airport shuttle picked them up."

"Right this way, then," the guard gestured him out of the room. Kate plopped back down next to Mrs. Tafton. "Sorry you had to witness all that," she apologized to her, shooting another glare at Mrs. Rhodes pacing on the other side of the room.

"Don't be; you and your husband are right," Mrs. Tafton absolved her, "Children should come first."

"I know," Kate nodded, "And don't feel like a bad mother because this happened; as long as you make the effort to get back to your child, you're still a worthwhile parent. It's the suspense of not knowing that's the killer," she exhaled softly, "But at least he's only lost and not in any actual trouble...I hope..."

* * *

"Here we are, boys, Vegas," Harry proclaimed grandly, gesturing at the familiar Welcome sign at the top of the Strip passing by the RV, "Didn't I say we'd make it safe?"

"Well, looks like your plan was a great one in the end, Harry," Fingers commended him, grinning at the resorts looming in the distance, "I've dreamed of doing the ultimate job of nailing a casino."

"Well, dreams come true in Vegas," Marv rubbed his hands excitedly, "Not to mention there's loads and loads of pretty women to get to know better..."

"Marv, make out time comes later; we got work to do," Harry glared at him, stifling a yawn of his own. He was admittedly worn out after having been driving full tilt all night. He and his gang had stopped only twice, to ditch the airport shuttle in Iowa, and to dump their prison uniforms, snatch new clothes, and pick up some extra weapons and tools just west of Denver. Adrenaline, however, was keeping him awake at the moment, and the knowledge the biggest payday of his life was within reach.

"Would have loved to have been here when the syndicates still ran the town," Lenny mused, staring at the Stratosphere looming off the right side of the RV, "They'd probably give guys like us a discount if we buttered up to them enough."

"Well, I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but I'm not sure we have what we need to break into a casino vault just yet," Sam argued from the very rear of the RV, flicking his brand new switchblade open and closed, "So if our fearless leader here can't come up with something to..."

"Hey Sammy, we agreed I'd be leading our happy outfit, so don't push yer luck," Harry warned him, tapping the gun in his pocket, "So if you don't want in on this..."

"Of course I want in, Harry; I live for challenges, and a casino vault's the ultimate challenge of all," the thieving transient said firmly, "It's just that I don't charge blindly into each job; I think out the best way to get the loot..."

"Which I have done too, for yer info," Harry abruptly braked to a stop as the light turned red in front of him, "Now we all know casinos vaults are guarded night and day with everything the brass's got. But the newer ones need time to become impregnable. Because they just started up, they ain't watched as tightly. Of course, there's still millions if not billions inside..."

"The point being, Harry...!?" Sam cut him off again.

"Point being, boys, who's new in town, and making a mint, that nobody's going to think to rob?" Harry posed to his gang.

"Thurston Howell III?" Marv guessed off the top of his head. Noticing Harry glaring at him again, he quickly revised his answer to, "Thurston Howell IV, Harry?"

"You can come out of Lalaland any time ya want, Marv," Harry rolled his eyes in disgust, "I meant, that," he pointed down the street, where Marty Moose's face looked down from the Walley World Casino. "Ah. I knew that," Marv said quickly.

"Sure you did," Sam was equally disgusted at Marv's thickness. "We'll have to check it out first, just to make sure Fingers can blast through it with what we do have," he declared.

"Hey, they haven't made a safe or vault yet I can't crack," Fingers bragged, "And this is Vegas; they blow stuff up here all the time. I can get more explosives or drills anywhere in this city."

"So like the man said, let's case the place first," Harry accelerated towards the casino, "If we're lucky, this'll be easier than it looks for us..."

* * *

"Thank you; you were one of the most entertaining parts of The Ramayana," Kevin told the costumed Hanuman the monkey god, taking an autograph from him, "Mr. Walley should really consider giving you a spin off project at some point."

Hanuman merely shrugged and wandered off to the next table. Kevin took another bite of the pancakes before him on the dining room table. "I really enjoy the concept of character breakfasts," he told his classmates.

"Same here, Kevin. Thanks, Thomas," Julian took his own autograph from Marty's friend Thomas the turtle, "Who else is here?" he scanned the room for more characters. "Orville," he waved the opossum over next.

"Princess Sita," Sarah was eagerly trying to get Prince Rama's bride over as well-and indeed Sita came bustling over. There was a soft sigh from Nate, who leaned close to Kevin's ear. "Not that I'm complaining, but what is it with girls and princesses?" he had to ask his friend.

"Always putting princesses down, aren't you boys?" Danielle snorted. She was not partaking in the autograph signing, chewing away on her waffles without looking up. "Never mind you're all obsessed with your silly superheroes and knights and everything, and that's even worse," she retorted.

"Hey, knights stand for the best in the world," Julian protested, shaking Orville's hand after getting his signature, "They uphold the code of chivalry, help the poor, fight for what's right, and all that."

"Well, the best of them did; the worst burned and pillaged and killed anyone they wanted to during the Middle Ages," Ethan pointed out to him, getting his own autograph from Prince Rama himself, "Just so you know."

"Sometimes I think fiction's better than real life," Julian mumbled, turning back to his notepad and his own knight story. Kevin shook his head softly. "OK, so we'll have to draw up the schedule for today," he told his classmates, "Anyone know what they want to do, so we can work it around the Splat Zone taping if we make it?"

"Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur," Julian said without a second thought.

"I kind of wouldn't mind seeing the museum at the Tropicana with all the historic artifacts," Ethan offered.

"Do they offer motorcycle jumps over the fountains at Caesar's?" Nate inquired.

"Nope, not without a license," Kevin shook his head, "I'd like the gondola rides at the Venetian myself..."

"Come on, we've got to try for the thrill rides," Nate pressed, "I know we can beat the height requirements."

"If we have time, maybe, and if we're not over budget," Kevin cautioned, "We should really be back here before dark; I kind of don't want to be out on the Strip after dark."

"Because you're afraid, that's why," Danielle taunted him. Kevin suppressed a yell. "Because I know some bad people come out on the streets here after dark," he told her as calmly as he could manage, "And for the record, Danielle, if we're doing everything we want to do, you're going to have to share the credit card with us."

"I'll do whatever I want with it," she remained firm, "I'll go along with you because I have no choice at the moment, but don't think I'll enjoy any of it."

"Good, because we're not going to enjoy your company either...Papageno," Nate waved down The Magic Flute's birdman for another autograph. "All right then, concerning Splat Zone," Kevin returned to the itinerary, "We know it's four players per team. I promised Sarah she'd be on the team, so she is. Ethan really should be too given his IQ; we need all the help we can get in the first round. I really want to do it too, so Nate, Julian, who's willing to sacrifice?" he asked them, feeling a little guilty to have to posit this to them.

"Not me," both of them said simultaneously. They frowned at each other. "Sure you won't reconsider...?" Nate pressed Sarah.

"I want to be on TV," she said, looking eager to be.

"And a promise is a promise, Nate," Kevin reminded him. Nate sighed in resignation. "OK," he pulled out a dime and held it up to Julian, "Heads it's me, tails it's you."

"Deal," Julian leaned forward in anticipation. Nate flipped the dime in the air. "Heads, I'm going to be a star!" he pumped his fist in delight.

"But of course, you can be our manager and trainer, Julian," Kevin quickly cut in, not wanting Julian to feel left out at all.

"Guaranteed equal cut of whatever our winnings are?" Julian pressed.

"Guaranteed," Kevin nodded.

"All right," Julian didn't look completely placated, but at least it was clear he wasn't going to press furiously for a spot, Kevin rationalized. Glancing across the dining room, he saw Martin Walley sitting down at the table in the corner, looking somewhat depressed. He slid down off his chair and walked towards him. "Good morning," he greeted Roy Walley's son. Martin looked up. "Oh, hello," he greeted Kevin softly, "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Reasonably good; the beds are pretty nice here," Kevin told him, "Are those people OK from last night?"

"A couple aren't," Martin shook his head grimly, "They had to be taken to the hospital. This'll mean more lawsuits for sure."

"Did you find out what was wrong with the Jorinde and Joringal float?"

"Something went wrong with the wiring or something. It almost looked like it got tampered with, but I don't know how..." Martin slumped his head forward onto the table, "How did I get myself into this!? Right now, I'd give anything to be a thousand miles away from all this..."

"Is it hard being Roy Walley's son?" Kevin inquired.

"Kind of," Martin looked up again, "I mean, I know he loves me, and I love him, but...he has big footsteps, for everything he's done, and I don't know if I can fill them...I want to fill them-I don't think Mr. Burke's the answer to the succession, personally, but..."

"What about me!?" it was Burke himself, striding over to the table with a smug expression, "You realize, of course, your father has placed full confidence in me at the moment, and since I do outrank you right now, you ought to be careful what you say to my face."

"Mr. Burke, please, now is not the time," Martin frowned at him, "Let's just get the Jorinde float fixed, the rest of the fleet inspected, and see what we can dole out to the families as compensation."

"It happened on your watch, so that's your job," Burke told him off, "And let me reiterate my feelings that I oppose donating half this casino's revenue to charity..."

"Mr. Burke, that has already been decided, and you know it," Martin rose to his feet, "You were there in the boardroom when we hammered out the compromise to opening this casino; exactly half of what we take in during the year goes to charitable organizations. If we're going to be running a casino, we're going to do so for the benefit of the public."

"And let me say that was a stupid compromise," Burke muttered, "But if you want to go ahead with it and send this resort down the drain, don't let me stop you-and don't think the board'll back you and the old man up if anything were to go wrong."

He finally noticed Kevin standing nearby, frowning at him. "Do you have a problem, kid!?" he told him sternly, "And aren't you the brat who checked in unattended up the hall from me?"

"The name is Kevin, Mr. Burke," Kevin told him firmly, "Yes, I am, and no, we're not unattended."

"Really? Well then, where's the Mr. Charles Lindhurst in who's name your room was booked, as per this hotel's records?" Burke dared him, "Going by what I've learned from the overnight staff, no one by that name came into the building at all between the time you and your friends checked in and now. Care to explain, young man?"

"Um..." Kevin frantically tried to think of an excuse that would stick, "He, uh, um, he...he wasn't coming here now. His, uh, meeting lasted into this morning, but he booked us in and told us to make ourselves at home. He might be in later today, after, uh, it's all done."

"I certainly hope so, for your sake," Burke glared at him. "And I hope you know what you're doing, because you don't have the board's backing anymore," he warned Martin before storming off. Roy Walley's son exhaled in relief once Burke was gone. "I'm regretting that we ever hired him," he mumbled out loud.

"I can see," Kevin turned towards him, his mind racing on how to throw the clearly suspicious Burke off their scent in the near term. "So, you said the casino's money's going to charity?" he asked.

"It was part of the compromise in agreeing to open it," Martin explained to him, "My father made it clear that if we were going to do it, the public was going to benefit from us doing it. Tomorrow night after Jorinde and Joringal's premiere, we'll take exactly half of the accumulated total out of the vault and ship it off to several charitable organizations: Make a Wish, March of Dimes, MDA, you name it. And we've taken in enough so that they may be getting close to half a billion in all."

"I think that's a really good idea," Kevin commended him. On a whim, he pulled out his wallet and dug through it. All he could find, though, was a single twenty dollar bill. He hadn't anticipated being stranded like this, he knew. Still, it WAS Christmas, and it WAS a good cause...

"Here," he dug out the bill and handed it to Martin, "It's not much, but you can add it to the grand total that gets sent out."

"Oh no, I can't take this..." Martin tried to push it away.

"Please, I insist," Kevin pressed it into his hand, "There are people who need it a lot more than I do out there. And we should always try and do good deeds at Christmas."

Martin's face broke into a grin. "It's times like this I still feel good about the way the world is," he commended Kevin, slipping the bill into his pocket, "All right, we'll add it to the grand total. And we'll make sure your name's listed as a contributor."

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," Kevin told him, "Just being able to help's good enough. Well," he glanced at his watch, "Probably should get going; we do have a busy day ahead."

"Hope you enjoy it, Kevin. Oh, wait, before you go," Martin stopped him before he could leave, "You had said last night you were interested in being on Splat Zone's holiday show tonight? They moved up the auditions to ten; talent coordinator had some commitments before lunch, so they rearranged everything to accommodate her."

"Ten?" Kevin glanced at his watch, which now read quarter to ten. "Well thanks for the warning. We'll head over there now; Studio 3, right?"

"Right."

"OK. Thanks for everything," Kevin told him in parting. He rushed back to his own table. "Change of plans; they're auditioning for Splat Zone earlier," he told everyone, then laid out the specifics. "Well then, let's get going," Nate rose up, "Stardom awaits now."

IF we make it, Nate," Kevin reminded him, following Nate and the others out of the dining room, "I think we will, but just to..."

He abruptly came to a sudden stop. A strange, ominous feeling was suddenly washing over him, as if an evil presence was somewhere nearby. His head shot around to the left, where the feeling seemed to be emanating from. And for a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of a dark blue wool cap and wild brown hair in the crowd, before scores of people swarmed in and blocked the view out. He blinked hard once they had all passed, but what he'd thought he'd seen was no longer there...if he'd seen it in the first place...

"Hey Kevin, you all right?" Julian was leaning into his face, concerned.

"Oh, uh, yeah, Julian; just thought I saw something there for a moment," Kevin continued staring into the crowd, but still couldn't see anything noteworthy. Julian followed his gaze. "Well, there's nothing there now," he remarked, "Come on, let's book it."

He dragged Kevin towards Studio 3. _ "Get it together, McCallister, it was only your imagination,"_ Kevin tried to tell himself, _"The Bad Guys are safely back in jail; there's no way they could be here now..." _


	8. Third Contact

"Real nice, real nice," Harry remarked, staring around the Walley World Resort's lobby, "Yep, they'll have a load of dough to take."

"So I hope you do have a plan on getting to the vault, Harry?" Lenny leaned towards him, "Because I know from past experience that a good..."

"Not to worry, Lenny; I've got a plan. Watch and see," Harry strode up to the front desk. "Morning," he greeted Les, "I'm with United Vault Checkers Incorporated. We've come to inspect your casino's vault."

"Huh?" Les was completely confused.

"Got a call in that your safe might be unsafe," Harry told him, "My colleagues and I," he gestured back at the Wet Bandits Gang, "want to give it a look-over to make sure it's A-OK."

"Um," Les quickly typed in some information on his computer, "Well, Mr. Whatever You Said, uh, you don't seem to be in the call list..."

"That's OK; your boss said we could show up any time we wanted," Harry said quickly, "No need for any clearance; he said to just come in and do what we want. So if you'll just direct us to the vault, we'll give it our top grade inspection and certify it's a safe safe."

"Well, it is back there," Les pointed through the off limits door to the left, "But I should probably clear this..."

"Nah, we have special permission from the boss to do our job in there. So," Harry saw Les's code card in his tuxedo pocket and quickly swiped it. "Hey!" the desk clerk protested.

"Thanks; we'll give it right back when we're done," the leader of the Wet Bandits Gang told him, "Come on boys, let's go check out that safe," he waved the rest of the gang towards the door to the vault. He swiped the card and held it open for them. "I think you already got them suspicious, Harry," Sam grumbled at him.

"Not to worry, Sammy; we'll be in and out once we get a good look at the vault and how to blow it," Harry assured him. "Then we'll show up tomorrow and break it open. And there we are."

Already they could see the vault at the end of the corridor at the bottom of the stairs. The five escapees bustled up to the bars separating any guests from the vault door. "Hello retirement fund," Marv breathed excitedly, "OK Fingers, what does it look like?"

"Hmm," Fingers examined the vault door carefully, "Wish I could get closer for a better look, but it appears there's about four main bolts, and the steel's about eight inches thick. My best guess, I could probably open it in about a half hour with the proper tools."

"OK, first thing we do once we finish here is get all that stuff," Harry declared, "You saw all the posters about the latest Walley animated feature when we came in; everybody'll be busy watching that. We gotta come up with a way to distract security so we can get back here..."

"I could run around the lobby in my underwear," Marv proposed. Harry ignored him. "And then, make sure we keep them away till we got the loot out," he continued, "Lenny, since you've whacked a couple guys, you're gonna be the point guy," he told the mob enforcer, "Keep security away till we get all the cash out. Then we'll carry it out the back door and disappear into the night to make it to the border and live a happy retirement down in Mexico."

"And HOW do we get it out, Harry?" Sam raised his eyebrows, "Have you thought about a getaway vehicle? Or disguises to get back in here now that vault inspectors are off the table?"

"Look Sammy, I know what I'm doing," Harry said, irritated, "The plan's coming together with..."

"FREEZE!" came the sudden shout from behind them. Dozens of security guards were now rushing towards them, guns drawn. Marv's hands immediately shot up in surrender. "Get 'em down!" Harry yanked his partners' arms down. "Everything checks out, boys; ya gotta good safe here," he calmly told the approaching guards, "We'll just certify that..."

"Up against the wall!" the leader of the guards grabbed him and slammed him into the wall, "We checked; there's no 'vault checkers' coming here today. So what's the real story!?"

"Uh...we wondered if, being Walley, you were gonna give any free samples for Christmas?" Marv blurted out. Harry groaned in frustration. "All right, come on along," the head guard dragged Harry back up the hall, "You've got a lot of explaining to do to the boss."

* * *

"Time," the contestant coordinator on Stage 3 called out. Kevin dropped his pencil to the desk in front of him and handed in the written Splat Zone application test to a production aide standing nearby. "What do you suppose all that commotion outside was?" he asked Nate next to him; the sounds of security guards scrambling around shouting had interrupted the test taking a few moments ago.

"Who knows, probably some guy tried to run with a slot machine," Nate shrugged, handing in his test as well. "So how'd we do?" he eagerly asked the coordinator, a firm-looking woman.

"Hmm," the coordinator looked over the tests, "Seems reasonable enough for the written part. Now let's see how you do with the physical part."

She waved Kevin, Nate, Sarah, and Ethan over towards a series of chairs and large cardboard rolls set up as a rudimentary obstacle course. "Each of you will get a timed run through this to see if you're physically fit to run in the Splat Zone and to handle the qualifying round to reach the Zone," she explained, "If your times are fast enough compared to the rest of today's applicants, you'll be chosen for the show. Who's going first?"

"I'll do it," Kevin stepped forward.

"All right, just follow the arrows through. On your mark, get set, go," she hit the start button on her stopwatch. Kevin raced through the course as fast as he could, weaving around and under chairs, climbing up others and sliding down the rolls. Finally, he reached the finish line. "Fifty-three and a quarter seconds; not bad," the coordinator said without a trace of emotion, "Next please."

"Good luck," Kevin tapped Nate on the shoulder as his friend stepped into position for the next run. He bustled over to where Julian and Danielle were standing by the soundstage wall. "Did I look good, Coach?" he asked the former.

"Not bad, but I suppose I could train you and everyone else to be even better while we're going around Vegas later today," Julian was taking his role as de facto group manager rather seriously, "I'll whip you all into good shape."

"Oh, I think you guys are looking good already," came Sidney's voice from around the corner. The bellboy stepped around into sight. "Just wanted to check how things were going," he told the kids with a smile.

"Are you a creep or something to be following us around like you are!?" Danielle frowned at him.

"Easy, he's not hurting anyone," Kevin glared at her. Until Sidney actually made any kind of dangerous move, he felt he could trust the man; his past experiences with Old Man Marley and the pigeon lady had made him see adults in a better light. "What was going on outside that had hotel security all up in arms?" he asked the bellboy.

"Oh nothing major; some guys got into a restricted area, that's all. They'll probably be escorted out, and that'll be the end of it," Sidney laid it out for him.

"Ah," Kevin took a deep sigh of relief; if it was only that, it probably wasn't the Bad Guys. "So, do you always try and befriend all the kids around here?" he asked their big friend.

"Well, I do like kids a lot; you can learn a lot about life getting to know them. So I guess you're all enjoying yourselves here in all?" Sidney asked all the kids.

"You know it," Julian grinned, "In fact, we don't want to go home."

"You know, funny you should say that, because," Sidney bent down to his level, "Confidentially, you kids don't really have any adults here with you, do you?"

"No, of course we do," Julian went white at having the secret exposed, "Danielle's dad'll be in any...!"

"You don't have to make stories up to me. I'm not going to call the police," Sidney assured him, "But would you care to explain the real story?"

"Well, I...!" Julian stammered for an answer.

"Julian, might as well tell him," Kevin interceded. He could tell Sidney was on their side, so honesty would probably help here, he reasoned. He laid out for the bellboy the series of events that had led he and his friends to the resort. "I see," Sidney nodded when Kevin had finished, "Well, you did choose the right place to come, but I still think you probably should have let your folks know where you are."

"I tried a couple times, but my parents weren't in," Kevin admitted, "And now that we've used the credit card to check in, we can't call the police. I nearly got arrested in New York last year for the same thing."

"Last year?" Sidney looked confused. Kevin laid out his adventures over the last two years, including his stay at the Plaza, to the bellboy. He noticed his teammates approaching, looking winded from their efforts at the obstacle course. "How'd it go?" he asked them.

"Exhausting, but I think we did it," Ethan said, leaning against the wall to regain his breath, "Now if we do make it, we'll have to decide which two of us gets to run in the Splat Zone if we win."

"Well before all that, maybe you should finally let your folks know you're here," Sidney told him with a firm look.

"Huh!?" Ethan's head shot up, "How'd...but...!?"

"Oh, I was just able to put two and two together over the last couple of hours," Sidney explained to him.

"Look, you can't turn us in!" Nate begged him, "I don't want to go home; my parents made it clear they don't want me anymore! The rest of us don't want to go home either...!"

"Oh I'm not going to turn you in," Sidney told him, "But maybe you should realize that you are alone in a city not all that kind to kids outside of this casino, and now that you used someone else's credit card to check in..."

"That's my father's card, you fat buttinski, so it's perfectly all right," Danielle told him smarmily, making Sidney wince uncomfortably at being called fat, "And I'll be perfectly all right; if we get in a pinch, I can simply call Daddy and have him clear me, and he'll send Frain to come pick me up. Everyone else here can take the fall."

"Oh no we won't!" Nate rounded on her, enraged, "You're as much a part of this as everyone, and...!"

"Excuse me," the talent coordinator was approaching them, "If I'm not interrupting anything, what was the name you had suggested for yourselves if you'd made it?"

"Oh, uh, the Shermer Strike Force," Kevin told her; he'd felt the title would be a good way to honor their hometown. "Did we make it...!?"

"Congratulations, Shermer Strike Force; you have been approved for tonight's taping of Splat Zone," she commended them.

"YES!" Kevin pumped a fist in delight, embracing his teammates. "We go on the air live at six; be here no later than five thirty to be fitted for your team uniforms. And good luck," the coordinator gave them some final instructions.

"Thank you," Kevin nodded at her. "Well, we did it," he exclaimed, high-fiving Julian as well, "We've got to call and let..."

"No, no calls," Nate firmly stepped into his path, "We're not calling anyone."

"...call Alex and let him know we're on," Kevin iterated sternly, "You know how much he likes the show; maybe that'll cheer him up from being under the weather."

"OK, Alex is fine-as long as you make it clear he can't tell anyone," Nate warned him, "Well, now that we made it," his expression got brighter, "We've got a whole day ahead of us, so let's go celebrate on the Strip!"

The rest of the children cheered and rushed for the soundstage exit. "I'll be along in a minute," Kevin called after them. "Oh, Alex is another friend; he's home sick, so he couldn't make this trip, otherwise he'd probably be here with us," he explained to Sidney.

"Ah," Sidney nodded, "I would still let your families know this is where you are," he advised Kevin firmly.

"I've been trying to, but like I said, no luck so far, and as you can see, the others are enjoying it too much here-and they have too many problems at home they want to keep away from," Kevin sighed, "I've tried to tell them how much I've learned about how important family is, but they won't listen to me on it."

"Well, I'd say to keep trying," Sidney told him, "Because I do like you kids, and I don't want you getting in trouble with the law or anything."

"We'll try not to. Well, are you going to watch us on the air tonight, then?" Kevin asked him.

"Oh, I think I can probably maneuver the porting schedule around so I can sneak in a seat in the audience," the bellboy grinned.

"OK, see you then," Kevin started to leave, then turned again. "Uh, can I have two quarters? I'll pay you back later if I can; I'd like to make two calls if they'll let me..."

"No need," Sidney dug out two quarters and flipped them towards him, "Martin Walley told me how kind you were to give money towards what we're giving to charity tomorrow. So no need to pay me back."

Well, if you insist. See you later, then," Kevin rushed out of the soundstage, hoping he wouldn't be watched by the others when he made the calls he wanted to.

* * *

"I knew I should have stayed back in Joliet," Sam muttered in disgust inside the windowless holding room the Wet Bandits Gang was locked in, "Anything was better than following you two idiots and getting more time slapped onto my old sentence...!"

"Hey, we ain't sunk yet, Sammy," Harry told him curtly, "We just explain this was a misunderstanding, and they'll let us go no problem."

"Do you even hear yourself talk some times!?" the former transient continued ranting, "It's a miracle you and Marv even managed to pull any successful jobs in the first place!"

"Don't talk about Harry like that; he's a criminal genius!" Marv protested, putting a supportive arm around Harry.

"A genius whose idea of attempting to rob a bank is to stumble into the bank with a garbage bag with no eyeholes over his head so by the time he reached the counter, everyone's too busy laughing to be afraid!?" an equally frustrated Lenny growled at him.

"That would have worked just fine if they'd taken us seriously!" Marv argued.

"Which was awfully hard to do when you walk up to the drive thru window with whipped cream sprayed all over yer head and demanding all the money from there!" Harry glared at his partner, "I coulda scared them into handing it...!"

He went silent as the door was unlocked behind him. "Gentlemen, I'm Mr. Stone, head of security for this casino," the head guard walked in, "I'd like you to meet Mr. Chuck Burke, Chairman of the Board of Roy Walley Entertainment, who is overseeing critical aspects of the resort at this time."

He gestured Burke into the room. Burke, however, was grinning as he sat down at the only empty seat around the table the convicts were seated at. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he greeted them all, "I would like to start out by assuring you that nothing in this room is being recorded at this moment in time. Now would you care to explain why you were snooping around near this casino's vault, as Mr. Stone here told me you were?"

"Looking for free samples?" Marv dug up his old excuse again.

"There's no need to lie to me, sir; I can tell from the security feed the five of you intended to rob that vault if you'd had the chance," Burke leaned towards them, "But I want you to know that I'm not going to press charges against any of you. In fact, no one will know about it. Because, since breaking into that vault was clearly your objective, I would in fact like to hire you all to do so."

"Huh?" Harry frowned, "What's this all about?"

"Allow me to explain," Burke gestured for Stone to close and lock the door, "There's a lot of money in that vault that's being diverted to organizations I don't want to see it diverted to tomorrow night-a decision by Roy Walley that I don't like. But I can get rid of Walley if he and his son are made to look bad. So I would like to offer you gentlemen a deal: you break into the vault before the money's loaded onto trucks to be given to charity tomorrow, and you can keep as much as you want."

"Is this a trick!?" Lenny demanded, "I've seen guys fall for something like this before."

"No tricks, my good man. In fact, to show I'm on the level with you all..." Burke dug several large wads of cash out of his tuxedo pockets and handed them to each convict, "Ten thousand dollars for each of you just to show my appreciation. I've been looking for men to handle this job, and it looks like the five of you might be it. Moreover, if you successfully pull off the robbery, I can arrange for a getaway vehicle and transport to a country without an extradition law, and no one will ever know anything. What do you say, gentlemen?"

"One moment, please," Harry waved his associates into a group huddle. "OK," he told Burke when they'd finished, "We're gonna be watchin' ya to make sure this ain't no trick. But if ya do uphold yer end, then you can count on the services of the Wet Bandits Gang. And that's a promise from Harry Lyme himself-me," he extended his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lyme," Burke shook Harry's hand, "All right, now that we have an agreement, I'll arrange for lodging for you gentlemen until this operation off property-I think a penthouse at Paris might do well, since I know the owners there. I'll call it in for you men now; a man will meet you there tonight with more specific instructions on when to arrive for the job tomorrow. And remember, not a word to anyone about any of this."

"Don't worry, Mr. Burke, our lips are sealed," Marv made a zipping motion over his lips and mumbled with his mouth closed. "Right. Well, anyway, you're free to go, gentlemen," Burke waved for Stone to unlock the door, "Be here sharp at the appointed time; we'll take care of the rest for you."

"And security...?" Fingers still looked unsure.

"Don't worry about security; most of security's with us on this," Stone assured him.

"Great. Well, catch you later." Harry gestured the rest of his gang to follow him. "It's the jackpot, boys!" he whispered excitedly to them once they were back out in the lobby, "We get the whole vault, and a luxury room to go with it!"

"If only there was some way we could confirm this guy's on the level," Sam still looked suspicious.

"Ah, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Sammy. OK boys, take five," Harry informed Fingers and Lenny, "You've got the preliminary payment; go enjoy the town with it. We'll meet at our hotel at nine and wait for his messenger."

Pocketing their money, the two new members of Harry's gang bustled for the door, Sam following close behind. "Well, where to now, Marv?" Harry asked his original partner.

"Wherever there's showgirls," Marv declared, eagerly running his fingers through his own wad of cash, "I wanna be with as many pretty ladies as we can...Harry?"

Harry's eyes were widening as he stared towards the lobby's front door. A group of children were exiting, and in the rear, rushing to catch up...

"Marv, look," he pointed, "I think that's HIM!"

"Him!?" Marv squinted towards the door, "Ya know, it kinda did look like him a little, Harry..."

"Look? I _know_ it was him, Marv," a dark look was spreading on Harry's face, "I wouldn't forget his face anywhere. And it looks like he's all alone again. Come on, let's follow him; we'll get him when he don't expect it..."


	9. Face to Face Once More

"General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee; how may I help you?" came the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, my name is Kate McCallister; my son disappeared yesterday at O'Hare in Chicago, and I'm calling to see if you have him there in Milwaukee," Kate said over the phone, her hands shaking nervously, "Were any missing children found at any of your terminals?"

"One moment please," the airport receptionist in Milwaukee said matter of factually. Kate tapped her fingers on the desk, pleading in her head that there'd be at least some good news. Instead, however, the receptionist merely responded, "I'm sorry, we have not had any unattended children here recently."

"Well did anyone see anything? He may have passed through and gotten in a cab, or...!"

"I'm sorry, but you're looking in the wrong place for your son. Good luck with him, though," the receptionist hung up. Kate sighed miserably and hung back up, then hefted a pencil and crossed out Milwaukee on the piece of paper in front of her. Half of the cities that were also on the list had been crossed out as well, and her nerves were getting more and more shot with each elimination of where Kevin could be.

There was another click next to her as Mrs. Ostrowski, who had also volunteered to work the phones, hung up as well. "Anything!?" Kate spun towards her, hoping there was something.

"No," Mrs. Ostrowski shook her head softly, "They're not in Jacksonville either. I'm getting worried, Kate," she slumped her head against the desk, "What if they didn't get on the planes we thought they we did!? What if...we can never find them...?"

She started sniffing. Kate tapped her hand sympathetically. To her left, her husband's voice got louder on his own phone: "...how long has Mr. Lindhurst's meeting been going on!?" he was demanding out loud, "Well if you're his private secretary, then you have to have the power to contact him at a moment's notice. Look, I know he's a busy man, but this is his daughter we're talking about; she's been missing for close to twenty-four hours now, and I would hope he make the time to come back for her, that's all!" There was a long pause, during which his expression got significantly darker. "You know what, fine then!" he roared, "If Mr. Lindhurst can't interrupt his stupid business trip for his daughter when she's gone missing, then he doesn't deserve her back, and you tell him that as I said it! Yeah, and I mean it too, and since you're not doing anything to talk him out of it, you're really no better! Merry Christmas, for what it's worth!"

He slammed the receiver down. "Pompous jackass, Kate," he grumbled bitterly to his wife, "Can't even bother to pick up the phone himself even though he has to know his daughter's missing by now. Doesn't he realize that's as much abusive as if he hit her?"

Kate nodded grimly. "Too much money clouds the mind to what's important," she muttered out loud, "Well, anyway, he's not in Milwaukee either, Peter. I'm starting to..."

"Kate," at was Aunt Leslie behind her. The rest of the McCallisters had finally arrived. "Any news?" Kate's sister-in-law stepped forward.

"No," Kate shook her head, "And we've eliminated half the places he could have gone..."

"How did this happen again!?" Uncle Frank demanded, "It's like you want to torture us with this each year now, finding a new way to forget him so..."

"Frank, don't, please; we're not in the mood," Peter cut his brother off, frustration on his face. "You guys all right? We were a bit worried all of you couldn't make it," he approached his own family, giving each of them welcome hugs.

"If you call being stuck at the rest area on I-94 just outside the city all night because the plows couldn't bother digging out the interstate all right, then sure we're good," Buzz muttered in disgust.

"We're just fine, Dad," Megan added, giving her brother a disapproving look, "We got back just in time to read the note on the front door to come here before the airport shuttle came. Any idea where he might be at all?"

"We're working on it," her father tried to assure her, "Progress is coming slowly but...hey, what about those gate attendants!?" he flagged down the airport security chief, who was passing by, "Whose story fits the best!?"

"Sorry, Mr. McCallister, still can't say with certainty," the security chief told him, "They all only got a glimpse of the boy they thought they saw, so we can't lock in which one he got on."

"And you're just going to leave it at that!? Come on, sit them down and extract as much out of them as you can!" Peter goaded him hard.

"Mr. McCallister, we're doing what we can, trust me, but this is going to take some time," the security chief stressed.

"Well you've already taken almost twenty-four hours already; how much longer CAN it take!?"

"We're working on it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some more calls to make," the security chief bustled off. Peter slapped his hands to his temples and growled in frustration. "You see, we're fighting an uphill battle here," he told the rest of the family, "Why don't you all man the phones with us; we've got the cities he may have gone to, and we're trying to narrow it down."

"Why should I, when you lost him!?" Uncle Frank posed defiantly. Before his brother could say anything, however, two more people rushed into the room. "Ah, Clarence, Corinne, we were worried you weren't going to make it," Peter greeted Julian's parents, "You're the last ones willing to show up to show up."

"We would have been here sooner," Mrs. Clark gasped, out of breath, "We were taking Andy to on a college visitation trip; the snowstorm forced us into a motel until the roads were clear again. Do they know where Julian is!?"

"Well," Kate approached, her face contorting, "There's good news and bad news. The good is, we're narrowing it down where he and the other kids might be; the bad is, still no actual trace of them. We're calling all the airports the planes they might have been on all landed; we'd appreciate all the help we can get."

"I knew he shouldn't have gone on this trip," Mr. Clark grumbled, "I knew that some fancy pants nothing excursion to some fake Santa's Village outside of town wasn't worth it, but did anyone listen to me?"

"You know, Clarence, it's getting rather hard to listen to you anymore," Mrs. Clark rounded on him, frowning deeply, "Julian made it clear he wanted to go on the trip, even with you bent on talking him out of it. And the way you've been pushing him to do what you want him too, it's hard to blame him for wanting to get away."

"Why are you blaming me for this!?" Mr. Clark protested, "It's not my fault he disappeared! For God's sake, Corinne, I just want my sons to grow up to be men and not...!"

"And not what!? Pushing Andy to be a man was what landed him in detention for that incident with Larry Lester," she was glaring now, "And you've been hell-bent on making over Julian in Andy's image; he doesn't want to wrestle, Clarence, and you have to accept that. Screaming at him that he was chickening out before he left on this trip was no way to treat him right. Can't you accept he wants to be a writer instead!?"

"I am not the bad guy, Corinne! I just...I just want my son back safe," Mr. Clark hung his head, "The last thing I want to do is hurt him, or see him hurt..."

"Well, guess what, Clarence, you hurt him," his wife told him sternly, "Just like you hurt Andy with your pushing him to 'be a man.' So when we do find him, you'd better give him an apology outright."

"Whatever does get him back. Peter, what can I do?" Mr. Clark asked him.

"That phone right there," Peter pointed to the one he'd previously been sitting at, "I was going to try Nashville's airport next."

Mr. Clark quickly rushed to the phone in question and started dialing. "You'll have to forgive Clarence; he has a lot to learn," Mrs. Clark apologized to the McCallisters.

"Oh no need to explain, Corinne; compared to some of what we've seen the other parents here do, you're rather lucky it's only that he has an inflated ego," Kate glanced across the room at the Rhodeses, seated well away from each other and deliberately not looking in each other's direction as they made their own calls for their son.

"I just wish we could have taken him here, or come along as chaperones; maybe this wouldn't have happened," Mrs. Clark lamented, putting her face in her hands, "It's murder knowing my baby's out there all by himself, wondering how he's feeling..."

* * *

"Oh yeah!" Julian shouted in delight, applauding the knights clashing lances in the middle of the arena at the Excalibur. Kevin applauded as well; the show was much better than he had anticipated. "I can tell you're in heaven," he asided to his friend. Julian merely cheered at another clash of spears among the combatants. Kevin took another slurp of his tomato soup. "And I can see you're really enjoying the meal too," he told Sarah next to him, noticing she was almost finished her plate.

"It's been so long since I've had a really good meal," she admitted between bites of her biscuit, "Usually we have to make do with small amounts that still leave me hungry afterward."

"Well then, have some more," Kevin slid her the rest of his Cornish hen. "Thanks," she told him, rolling it onto her plate, "This has been a great day so far."

Kevin nodded, leaning back in his seat to watch the show. He had only been able to make the first call, to Alex to tell him to watch the Walley Channel that evening, for Nate had watched him like a hawk, as if suspecting he wanted to call Chicago again. He still had the extra quarter in his pocket, however, to be used at a later time. In the meantime, he'd vowed to enjoy the day regardless.

And enjoyed it, they all had. They'd taken the monorail shuttle to the north end of the Strip and had gradually worked their way back down to the Excalibur, which was more or less across the street for the Walley resort. They had taken in several trapeze acts at Circus Circus, caught a magic show at Harrah's, rode the canal boats at the Venetian as Kevin had wished, visited the Mirage's Secret Garden, and in general had taken in the impressive hotel architecture (Kevin personally enjoyed Caesars Palace the best). And yet, part of him had felt a strange sensation the whole day, a feeling that they were being followed. And for a brief moment while riding the Venetian canal boats, he'd thought he'd seen the last two people he'd wanted to see atop a bridge over the canal. Although it had turned out not to be the burglars upon closer inspection, part of him still felt on edge, almost as if they were still somewhere around him even in the relative safety of the theater...

A loud humming to his left made him turn and frown. Along with his anxiety over the thought of being followed, the other down side to the day was that Danielle had taken the opportunity to shop up a storm in just about every resort they'd gone to. As such, her seat was bracketed with stacks of boxes. She was also uninterested in the show, writing an entry into what was apparently her diary. "You know, Danielle, for the money we spent for these tickets, I'd've hoped you'd at least try to enjoy the show," he told her firmly.

"And I've told you, McCallister, I don't care for boys' shows," she told him off without looking up.

"Which is your problem, because this is basically like Prince Tomino's final showdown with the Queen of the Night and her minions," Nate lambasted her as well, "And you'd said you liked The Magic Flute a lot."

"Walley films, yes; live action boys' shows, no, Ostrowski," she also did not give him the benefit of a glance, "I'd rather still be shopping if you'd ask me."

"Which brings up another point, Danielle; you spent too much," Kevin scolded her, "We could have used some of the card's credit for food more than presents, and you max it out before we have dinner..."

"And I reiterate, McCallister, it's MY card, and even when paying for all of your silly shows, I can still use it as I see fit," she hissed, finally glaring at him.

"You know, there's hundreds of starving kids out there who can only dream of holding a credit card, and all you can think of is presents," Kevin's blood was starting to boil, "That's as selfish as anyone can get."

"And nobody, least of all you, can tell me how to think, McCallister, because...!"

"Shhh, we're trying to enjoy the show-yeah, yeah!" Ethan started cheering along with Julian once the latest combatants got down off their horses and started engaging in hand to hand combat. Kevin turned back forward to watch the duel, too disgusted with Danielle's greed to press the point any further. "You're right," Sarah whispered in his ear, "Food should always come before anything. I wish we could afford presents, though," her expression crashed again.

"Well, consider this my present to you," Kevin pointed to the brawling knights on the arena floor, "A Christmas present of getting away from it all."

"Thanks," she grinned, "You still look worried, though."

"Well, he leaned close to her, "Not that I'm worried yet, but as much as Danielle insists there's no problem with her card, if we run it up too high, they might still phone the authorities on us; it looks suspicious if we spend too much, and unfortunately, Danielle's little shopping spree probably tipped somebody off that something's not right," he gestured with contempt at the stacks of boxes.

"Oh come on, pal, you're overreacting," Nate, having listened in, leaned over, "We're in no danger at all."

* * *

"Uh, Mr. Burke, I have some big news," Les ran into his superior's office inside the casino. He paused dramatically, his arms spread wide. "Yes, Murphy!?" Burke asked impatiently.

"I called around the casinos," his henchman told him, "Several of them reported those kids we were looking into making big purchases with the credit card they used to check in here. Moreover, I searched hotel records; Mr. Charles Lindhurst is currently booked into a room in Singapore, sir."

"I see," a dark look spread on Burke's face, "I knew we were right to suspect something was up with those unattended brats. Tell Stone to notify everyone with security to keep an eye out for those miscreants; the moment they show up in this hotel again, arrest them immediately. We're not supposed to be running a playground here, we're..."

The phone on his desk rang. "Damn, the old bat again," Burke grumbled at the sight of Roy Walley's name on the caller ID line. He forced a smile as he picked up the phone. "Good evening, Mr. Walley, how is everything?"

"That's what I was going to ask you, Chuck," came Walley's voice on the other end, "I heard there was another accident at the resort last night. What's going on out there?"

"I really don't know, Mr. Walley, and I think that would be your son's responsibility more than mine," Burke offered innocently.

"I'll reiterate, Chuck, that I trust Martin implicitly to run the resort. I'd just like all the mishaps stopped. Is everything set for Jorinde and Joringal's premiere?"

"Um, as good as we could get it, Mr. Walley," Burke said, rolling his eyes in disgust towards Les and miming choking, "The red carpet should be out and ready for you tomorrow now; the big screen's set up in the courtyard for everyone who drew the VIP tickets..."

"Now come on, Chuck, I said I wanted everyone to be able to see it," Walley protested, "This premiere is an open gate event."

"As you wish, Mr. Walley. What time can we expect you to arrive?"

"Barring any setbacks, I'll be landing at the Las Vegas airport at six tomorrow night, so have everything set up for me then. Oh, and tell Martin not to let any of what's happening get to him; he's going to make a fine company president some day, I just know it."

"I'm sure he will, sir. See you tomorrow night, then," Burke hung up. "This premiere is an open gate event," he derisively mocked Walley out loud, "How does he expect to maximize profits if he lets the stupid public in for free!?"

"Well, not to complain, sir, but that is the way the company has been operating since..." Les tried to explain.

"Don't start, Murphy, or you'll jeopardize your seat on the board once I'm in charge," Burke warned him sternly. "Anyway," he rose from his seat and stared out the window at the courtyard, where seats were being set up for Jorinde and Joringal's premiere, "Now that we know when the old fool's coming, we can work our timetable around that. We'll just have to find a way to keep him at the airport until those professionals we hired empty the vault and we've sufficiently framed his spawn for the robbery."

"I suppose we could start the diversionary part of the plan early," Les suggested, "Tell him that he has to stay at McCarran until everything's cleared."

"Perhaps, Murphy. Now we've got to pass along the timetable to those goons-where did they get to anyway...?"

* * *

"Should be comin' outta there any minute now, Marv," Harry said, his voice rife with anticipation. He and his partner stood in Excalibur's lobby, staring intently at the doors to the Tournament of Kings theater.

"So what's the plan, Harry?" Marv asked, his eyes wide with excitement at what was to happen very soon now.

"We catch him when he comes out, drag him and the other brats he's with outta here as quietly as possible, find a nice quite alley, and plug him good. And if they put up a fight, we'll plug them too," Harry reached into his coat pockets and fingered the guns in each of them. Each had more than enough ammo to finish both the kid and his friends five times over, he knew. There'd be no escape for the little creep this time, he swore darkly.

He clenched the gun in his left pocket as the theater doors swung open, signaling the end of the show. He and Marv had followed the kid discreetly all day, and neither he nor his friends had noticed them at all. Now their paths were finally about to converge at last-and sure enough, a familiar voice rang out from just inside the nearest theater door, "...I swear we're taking some of this back, Danielle!"

"If you want me to go along with this, McCallister, you'll just cork it and keep carrying all my gifts," one of the girls with the kid retorted. Harry grinned in triumph at confirmation it was in fact their mortal enemy that he and Marv had been trailing all day. And now, the kid himself came into sight, staggering under the weight of several boxes, which obscured his view. Harry nodded to Marv, who hefted his crowbar with a menacing glare. The two burglars slowly approached the group of children, who still hadn't noticed them. "I'm not going to let you keep running up the bill on us, Danielle! This is a group trip whether you like it or not, and we need to eat, not to mention pay for the airline tickets to go back home if our families don't come here for us!" the kid continued the argument, "And I'm not going to lug all this junk back to the hotel when there's starving kids all over the world, even in this city!"

"Let me take it off your hands then, kid," Harry bent down and snatched the boxes out of his foe's hands, leaving them face to face once again. "Merry Christmas, little buddy," he growled, "Don't even think about screamin'."


	10. Rediscovered

**"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**!" the scream exploded from inside Kevin like a volcano erupting. It couldn't be them, he thought in horror, the Bad Guys couldn't be here too! But nonetheless, there they were, right in front of him again. His scream proved so loud that every eye within a hundred yards turned in his direction, and both burglars jumped backwards in shock. "Dang it, Harry, he screamed," Marv remarked, looking surprised Kevin had.

Thinking quickly, Kevin slammed both of the boxes he was still holding down on the crooks' feet, making them yelp in pain. "RUN, RUN, RUN!" he screamed to the other children, seizing Nate and Sarah by the hands and taking off like a rocket for the front door. "Are those the guys who...!?" Nate started to ask him.

"Yes, that's them!" Kevin told him breathlessly, his voice high in fear, "I don't know how they got here, but we've got to get out of here quick!"

"Wow, what a small world," Nate glanced backwards, "Who'd've thought...?"

"GET BACK HERE, YA LITTLE CREEP! WE'RE GONNA RIP YA AND YER PALS LIMB FROM LIMB WHEN WE GET OUR HANDS ON YA!" came Harry's enraged threat from behind them. Kevin gulped fearfully. He shoved Excalibur's front door open and rushed out into the street, hoping they could get lost in a crowd. But there were too few people on the street at the moment for that to work, he could see. "Care to explain what these miscreants are upset with you for, McCallister!?" a glaring Danielle demanded of him, finally catching up to him on the curb, "Because if you've been keeping something from...!"

"I think those are the burglars that tried to break into Kevin's house two years ago; aren't they?" Ethan turned to Kevin for confirmation and got a nod in response. "But how did they get here?" the class brain inquired.

"EAT LEAD, KID!" came Harry's shout from the doorway, followed by the sound of a shot being fired. Kevin hit the deck quickly. "Never mind, just run!" he urged everyone, rushing out into the street despite the honking of horns from cars who had to abruptly stop to avoid hitting the children. "No, no, not back to the hotel!" Kevin grabbed Julian's arm as he started towards the Walley World resort, "We can't tip them off where we're staying!"

"Well then where are we supposed to hide from these guys!?" Julian shouted. Kevin glanced around, and noticed a bus coming up the street towards where they were standing. "Run for the Luxor," he pointed to the giant pyramid nearby, "Find some place in the bushes. I'll stall them to buy time."

"Kevin, what are you...!?"

"Just go!" he pushed Julian off towards the Luxor. His mind was racing; his plan seemed foolish, but it was all he could think of at the moment, even though it would have to be timed just right. And so, against all his better judgment, he ran towards the burglars until he was standing in the bus's lane. "Can't catch me, guys!" he taunted them, sticking out his tongue at them.

"Come to papa, you little worm!" Harry yelled, lunging right at him with Marv right in tow. Kevin waited until he heard the bus's brakes squeal, then jumped backwards right as the crooks were about to grab him. They stopped in confusion just long enough for the bus to run over both their feet. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!" the burglars shouted in unison, hopping up and down in agony. "YES!" Kevin pumped his fist. He took off running for the Luxor, hoping he could find everyone in time to get hidden.

"Back here, Kevin," it was Ethan calling from some thick bushes behind the Sphinx in front of the hotel. Kevin quickly dove for them. "Stay down, stay quiet!" he ordered everyone, laying down as low as he could. Moments later, the burglars staggered up in front of their hiding place. "Where'd they go!?" Marv demanded out loud, glancing around in every direction.

"Musta gone into the casino. Come on, we don't wanna lose 'em!" Harry charged full tilt for the door to the Luxor, Marv right behind him. Kevin waited a good minute after they'd gone inside to make sure they weren't coming back out before waving everyone back out of the bushes. "Back to Walley, quick; we'll be safer there," he announced, breaking into another run.

"Might as well, anyway; just about time to report for the show," Nate declared, glancing at his watch. Kevin looked at his own. "Yikes!" he exclaimed; it was now two minutes to five thirty. He'd completely lost track of time between the Excalibur show and the run-in with his old foes. Hopefully they wouldn't be disqualified if they were late...

In a flash, they all rushed into the casino and ran as fast as they could for Soundstage 3. Reassuringly, Sidney was standing at the door backstage, conversing with the contestant coordinator. "Ah, here they come," he exclaimed upon seeing them. "Didn't I tell you they'd be here, Andrea?" he told her.

"Where have you been!?" the coordinator upbraided the children, "I had said five thirty...!"

"We ran into a situation outside," Kevin explained between deep breaths, "Otherwise's we'd've..."

"Never mind. Come on back here, and we'll get you all suited up for the show," the coordinator was at least forgiving. She led the way into the backstage area. "Julian, Danielle, stay close to Sidney," Kevin instructed them, "And stay safe."

"Is something going on?" Sidney raised an eyebrow, concerned.

"Those guys I told you about this morning who tried to rob my house and who I stopped from robbing the toy store in New York? They're out there!" Kevin pointed outside, "I don't know how, but they're out there! We just managed to escape...!"

"Well, they wouldn't try anything in here, not in front of a live TV audience," Sidney assured him, nonetheless glancing warily at the front door himself, "And don't worry, your friends are safe here with me."

"Good. Wish us luck, and enjoy the show," Kevin told his two classmates in parting before rushing through the door backstage. Hopefully, he begged, Sidney was right and the Bad Guys wouldn't dare reveal themselves in front of TV cameras...indeed, hopefully they had no idea where he was staying in all of Las Vegas...

* * *

Twenty-five minutes later, suited up in the green team suit, he followed Nate, Sarah, and Ethan out onto the set to a cheer from the studio audience, mostly, he supposed of other hotel guests. Kevin gave them all a wave, taking his place at the fake snow-covered green podium on the left side of the set, which faced, at an angle, the large iron doors that the Splat Zone itself was behind. His eyes zeroed in to the front row, and was relieved to see Julian and Danielle safely next to Sidney in the front row. "Here we go," he said out loud softly, "We can do this..."

"Darn right we can do this," Nate was pumped up, "We're going to get that trophy and win the grand prize."

"And a week's vacation in space camp in Huntsville is something I'd be interested in," Ethan was also eager to get the game underway.

"Mmm," was all Kevin could manage, a vision of somehow being lost on the moon briefly passing through his mind. "Here comes the other team," he pointed out the orange team, consisting of four boys, most older than he and his classmates. He waved at them, but they did not give him the benefit of a wave back. Indeed, they glared haughtily at the Green team, as if they felt they were superior. "Hmm, not exactly the friendliest team," he mused. "OK, everyone set? You ready, Sarah?" he asked her.

"I just hope I can do well," she said nervously.

"You'll do just fine; you'll make your mother proud if she's watching," Kevin assured her, "OK, I've figured it out, when we get to the physical round, I'll do the first one with Nate, you'll do the second with Ethan, and we'll take the third one and the Chase for the Zone as it comes. If we win, I think..."

"Quiet on set," came the order from the floor director, "We're on in five, four, three, two, one..."

The audience broke into applause as the high-energy Splat Zone theme kicked into high gear. "Behind these doors lies the Splat Zone," rang out the voice of show announcer Harley, "The messiest, most extreme place in the entire world. And for one of these two teams will come the glory of entering this special realm and attempting to retrieve the special Victor's Trophy from atop Mount St. Splat Zone. Which will it be? Let's find out on todaaaaaaaaaaay's SSSSSSSSSPLAAAAAAAAT ZZZOOOOOOOOOOONE! And now, here's your host, the King of Goo, Kirk Caloo!"

Kevin applauded as Caloo repelled down from the rafters on a bungee line and swung over the audience. "Thank you, and merry Christmas!" he greeted everyone warmly after he'd landed on the stage and unhooked himself, "Welcome to our special live holiday episode of Splat Zone. And we're carrying the spirit of the season with us for today's special challenges, which our two teams will have to pass in order to enter the Splat Zone and retrieve the Victor's Trophy," he gestured at the iron doors behind him, "So let's go meet our teams."

He rushed to his host's podium between the two team stands. "First one my right, wearing green, we have the Shermer Strike Force," he gestured towards them, "And here we have Kevin, Nate, Sarah, and Ethan; you're all from Chicago, am I correct?"

"Yes," Kevin leaned towards his microphone, "We, uh, found out unexpectedly we'd be spending the holidays here, so we decided to try out, and here we are."

"Anything special holiday experiences you'd like to share with us?"

"Uh," Kevin debated what, or even how much if so, he ought to say, "Well, last Christmas, I was in New York, and managed to stop a robbery at Duncan's Toy Chest," he said into the camera, "I found out these two burglars were going to rob it, so I distracted them away from the store and kept them busy until the police could come."

"Isn't that impressive?" Caloo started applauding, which prompted the audience to do the same, "Some great competitors here on the green team. And on my left, in orange, we have the Ravishing Reggorfs, comprised of Ernest, William, Rodney, and Paul Reggorf. And I hear you boys are looking for a clean sweep here, that you've done all the other current kids shows and won?"

"Yes, Kirk, and quite easily," Ernest said with more than a little snobbery, "We have easily won Videodrome, Brain Teaser, Where on the Planet Is Calvin Atlanta, and Decathlon, and now we're going to complete it with Splat Zone. And I easily predict victory, given each of us has an IQ over one hundred forty and letter in four sports each."

"Well good luck to both you and the green team. And without further adieu, let's get down to the game!" Caloo declared to a loud applause. "Round one is a test each team's mental IQ. I'll be asking a series of questions; if you know the answer, hit the group buzzer in front of your podium. Or, you could ring in and challenge the other team to answer; the decision is all yours. Correct answers will give you twenty-five points; if the other team fails to answer a challenge, you'll get fifty points. The team furthest ahead after the seven minutes in this round will win one Medallion of Valor," he held up an example, "that will aid you against the monsters lurking in the Splat Zone. And we begin with this question."

He drew a Christmas card-shaped question from the tray on his podium. "It's known as the Christmas flower, and it was named for which U.S. Minister to Mexico?" he asked both teams. Kevin didn't know this one, and Ethan, who did, was beaten to the buzzer by the Reggorfs. "That would be Joel Poinsett, Kirk," Ernest said confidently.

"Indeed it is; twenty-five points to the orange team," Caloo told them, "Next: Silent Night was written by what Austrian priest?"

Again, the Reggorfs rang in first. "We challenge the green team," William announced.

"All right, green team, you have five seconds to answer; who was the priest?" Caloo inquired. The team formed a quick huddle. "Wasn't it Gruber?" Nate asked, looking unsure.

"No, he did the lyrics; it was Joseph Mohr," Ethan insisted.

"You sure? I heard Gruber as well," Kevin wasn't sure himself.

"Trust me, it was Mohr!" Ethan insisted fervently.

"I need an answer, green team," Caloo told them. Kevin, feeling Ethan would know it better than he, gave his friend a nod. "Joseph Mohr," the class brain answered into the microphone.

"Indeed it was; fifty points for you," Caloo commended them, "Moving along: Donner and Blitzen are key reindeer on Santa's team; what do their names mean in the original German?"

Again, Kevin didn't know the answer, but was bailed out when Nate hit the buzzer first. "Challenge," he demanded.

"All right, orange team, do you know the answer?" Caloo asked the Reggorfs.

"Indeed we do, Kirk; Donner and Blitzen are German for thunder and lightning, as too was the original Dutch names Donder and Blixten," Rodney said matter-of-factually.

"And you're right on both counts. Fifty points over here; we have a good match so far," Caloo said to applause, "Our next question..."

* * *

"Well, thank you anyway," Kate said miserably into her phone, "A merry Christmas to you too."

She hung up and crossed the last remaining city name-Phoenix-off her list. She turned to her left with pleading eyes as her husband hung up his phone as well. Peter turned to her and grimly shook his head. Kate moaned in agony and slumped her head forward onto the desk. "And you called everywhere around the airport; restaurants, gas stations, hotels...!?" she asked with a high, desperate voice.

"Everywhere," Peter said, frustration rife in his voice, "Everywhere he could possibly be around the airport. Nothing at all."

Kate buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. "Honey, honey, don't give up yet," Peter hugged her from behind, "It's possible he'll turn up at one of these airports eventually..."

"I've called them all on my list twice today! Still nothing! I can't take it, Peter; I can't take the agony of not knowing anything!" she lamented, "I've got to find him...!"

"We will, we will, I promise," her husband said, but his tone wasn't that reassuring, "Let's take a break for a moment; I can tell we're both exhausted. You want anything from the food stands on the concourse?"

"I'm not hungry, Peter," she told him.

"Kate, you and I haven't had a bite all day since we got the news..."

"I said I'm not hungry," she said firmly.

"OK, I understand," he said, stepping back, "I'm going for dinner; let me know if you change your mind."

He slouched out the door into the Cross American concourse, looking miserable himself. Kate hauled herself up and trudged out the door into the security waiting room, where the other McCallisters were now seated. Some of them now turned towards her with anticipation. Kate shook her head at them, then slumped to the floor and started crying again. "Don't cry, Mom," Jeff came over and put an arm around her, "You're doing your best."

"Then why haven't we found him yet!?" she half-shrieked, "Why does this keep happening to us every single year!?"

"It's not you're fault, Mom; it's not anyone's fault," Linnie offered her own advice, also giving her mother a hug.

"I don't know how much longer I can go on like this," she lamented, "We need a Christmas miracle to find him now..."

"KATE!" came Peter's sudden shout at the top of his lungs from outside on the concourse, "KATE, GET OUT HERE, QUICK, I FOUND HIM! HE'S ON TV, KATE; I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT HE'S ON TV RIGHT NOW!"

"What!?" her heart rate shooting up, Kate charged full tilt out the door onto the concourse. "OH MY GOD!" she shrieked when she'd screeched to a halt in front of the TV screwed to the wall above several aisles of seats. Sure enough, there was Kevin-there was no way she'd mistake him for anyone else-on the Splat Zone set, apparently playing the current match with several of the other missing children. "OH MY GOD!" she repeated again, ignoring several of the nearby airline customers shouting at her to be quiet and stop blocking the set. "EVERYONE, WE FOUND THEM!" she ran back to the door to the airport security office and screamed inside at the other parents, "THEY'RE CONTESTANTS ON SPLAT ZONE!"

There came the shuffling of footsteps as the other parents and the rest of the McCallisters rushed out to join her. "NATE!" Mrs. Ostrowski shrieked herself upon seeing her son on TV, "How'd they get there!?"

"I don't know; I was walking past this set, and all of a sudden I heard Kevin's voice, turned, and there he was," Peter pointed at the set right as Kevin answered a question correctly.

"Where's Julian!?" Mrs. Clark scanned the set frantically, "Why isn't he here too...!?"

"He's probably somewhere in the audience, Corinne; they probably all stuck together," Kate tried to assure her, "Now where is this filming at...!?"

"Where've you been, miss?" a little boy a few seats down spoke up at her, "They've been taping Splat Zone live at the Walley World Resort in Las Vegas since it opened."

"Las Vegas? But we called Las Vegas's airport and asked...oh, it doesn't matter. Sir," she noticed the airport security chief coming out of his office and waved him over, "We found him; he's on TV in Las Vegas," she pointed at the screen, "When's the next flight there!?"

"Let me check, Mrs. McCallister," the security chief walked away for a moment, talking into his radio. "OK," he said once he returned, "Nearest we've got is a United at ten thirty tomorrow morning."

"That's too long a wait!" Kate protested, "We need to get there now!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McCallister, but we can't just divert regularly scheduled planes for special purposes, much I as understand how you're feeling," the security chief told her firmly.

"What about a plane with stops along the way!? It'll be worth it...!"

"No, unfortunately, none of those either. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait until the flight tomorrow morning."

"What about a private plane!? This is the busiest airport in the Midwest, for the love of God; you've got to have a spare one laying around somewhere...!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McCallister. All I can do at the moment is contact McCarran and let them know of the situation," he turned to leave. Kate noticed his gun hanging out its holster, and grabbed it in a flash. "Now listen!" she barked at him, taking aim at him despite the screams of everyone around her, "I have been on edge here for over twenty-four hours wondering about where my son is, and NOBODY is going to keep me from him now that I do know, least of all you!"

"Mrs. McCallister, please put the gun down and calm down..." the security chief protested, turning white.

"I AM CALM!" Kate roared at the top of her lungs, "YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ME WHEN I'M UPSET!"

"Honey, come on, brandishing a firearm at the nice man when he's gone above and beyond the call of duty to help us isn't going to help the situation," Peter begged her, trying to push the gun downwards, "There's a better way to do this...!"

"No Peter, there's no other way right now!" she shouted back at him, "So," she turned back to the security chief, "are we going to get our plane to Las Vegas now, or is there going to be trouble!?"

Pale, the security chief activated his radio again. "Um, Tower Four, be aware that we're setting up a special flight for the parents to go to Las Vegas to get their kids," he meekly told Air Traffic Control, "Try and arrange for it to dock here at the Cross American concourse as soon as possible."

"Roger, will get the plane ready at the nearest convenience," Air Traffic Control confirmed his request. "Good," Kate handed the man his gun back, "And make sure it's as quick as you can get it."

"You realize I might have to arrest you when you get back for threatening an officer of the law, Mrs. McCallister," he told her, the color starting to return to his face.

"I'll take the risk; just get me the plane so I can get to my son," she demanded.

"All right, we will. So you know, though, we still haven't completely cleared the runways of all the snow yet, so it'll take some time after you board till you get to take off."

"Just whenever you can get it, sir," Peter interceded, "And sorry about all this, really."

The security chief gave Kate a worried look before rushing off to clear a plane for them. "Are you sure you're all right, Kate?" Peter put a hand to his wife's head, "I've never seen you snap this bad..."

"I'm perfectly fine, Peter," she snapped, "We're going to be at his side by dawn, and that's all that matters."

"Yes, but why don't we sit down for the time being and relax," he gently led her to a seat facing the TV Kevin was on, "and just watch Kevin in action till the plane's ready?"

Kate nodded softly. "We're coming, Kevin," she told her son's image on the screen, "Just hold on there and don't go anywhere; we're on our way."


	11. A Wild Splat Zone Chase

"...that sound means it's the end of our first round, and the score is three hundred fifty points for the orange team to three hundred points for the green team; looks like we've got a good match going here, ladies and gentlemen," Caloo announced to the audience, who let out a cheer. "And that means the orange team wins a Medallion of Valor," he produced one and handed it to the Reggorfs, "We'll be back after these messages to determine if the green team can come back and win a trip to the Splat Zone; don't go away."

"And that's a three minute break," the floor manager announced out loud. The stage crew rushed onto the set and started removing unessential set props. Kevin exhaled softly. "Not bad, guys," he told the rest of his team, "We're still in striking distance."

"I should have known that one about the colors on the Advent Wreath," Ethan lamented grimly.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ethan; I suspect half of them didn't know either," Kevin gestured at their opponents, who were swaggering confidently onto the center of the set, "Still, they are going to be challenging to beat."

"Helmets and pads on, teams," the contestant coordinator called from the wings. The green team quickly put the helmets and elbow and knee pads set up under their podium and joined the orange team in the middle of the set. "Good work so far," Kevin told the Reggorfs, all of whom were sizably taller than him, "May the better team win."

He extended a hand, but none of the Reggorfs took it. "We intend to win," Rodney told him smugly, "And we will win. We always win."

"Kind of cocky, aren't we?" Nate told him sarcastically.

"We're a lean, mean, winning machine," William bragged at him with a glare, "Our parents have trained us to be the best of best, and we're not going to lose this game. Especially against a bunch of runts like you who had to stoop to putting a girl on your team," his cold gaze turned contemptuously towards Sarah.

"Hey, that's a cheap shot!" Kevin shouted at him, "Sarah's just as good as any of you guys, and you just proved it by saying that."

"Oh, we're really scared," Paul said in mock fear, "Prepare to be destroyed, amateurs."

He and his brothers turned their backs to their opponents. Kevin rolled his eyes in disgust. "We've got to beat them," he told his teammates, "They need to be brought down several pegs."

"Don't worry, Kevin, no one talks to me like they did and gets away with it," Nate declared with his fists clenched. "Ah," he exclaimed to see the stage crew rolling several large metal spheres onto the stage, "Looks like we'll be doing some rolling, Kevin. I always like when they have this challenge."

"Places for the first challenge; we're on in thirty," the floor director declared. Kevin joined Nate by the spheres on the left side of the stage. "On in ten," came the count, "Aaaaaaaaaand, five, four, three, two, one..."

The audience cheered the return of the show to air. "Welcome back and merry Christmas again," Caloo announced into the camera, "The Ravishing Reggorfs won the first round of today's game; now they face the Shermer Strike Force in the physical segment. Each team will participate in three challenges, followed by the grand Chase for the Zone race. The first challenge will be worth one hundred points, as will the second, and the third will be worth two hundred points. The losers of each challenge will have to take a seat in our Penalty Pod," he gestured at the contraption that had been wheeled onto the stage during the break, a device with four seats, buckets filled with slime rigged over them, and mechanical arms set with pies in front of them. "Harley, tell them what the first challenge is."

"You know how it goes in Winter Wonderland: 'We'll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman, until the other kiddies knock him down.' You're going to do the knocking down, teams," Harley told the contenders, "Each team has several snowmen set up behind you; your job is to protect your snowmen at all costs. When Kirk says go, roll your giant snowballs around and try to knock your opponents' snowmen over while keeping them from doing the same to yours. The first team to knock over all their opponents' snowmen, or the team furthest along when time runs out wins."

"All right; teams, to your snowballs," Caloo commanded. Kevin climbed into the nearest sphere. He grabbed hold of the front of the sphere once the door was locked into place behind him and stared at the four snowmen behind the spheres Ernest and Rodney were climbing into across from them. "Seems easy enough-if I can get the handle on this thing," he mused out loud. "How about we alternate, Nate?" he called to his friend next to him, "You attack, I'll defend, then we'll switch."

"Got it. Let's do it," Nate gently pushed on the front of his sphere, visibly eager for the challenge to start.

"Sixty seconds on the clock, please," Caloo called out, "Teams ready? On your mark, get set, go!"

Kevin started pushing on the front of his sphere, but found it responding rather sluggishly. "Come on, don't go dead on me!" he mumbled out loud, struggling to get enough traction. While he struggling in place, Rodney rolled over and easily knocked over one of the green team's snowmen. "Tough going, huh twerp?" he taunted Kevin.

"Shut up!" Kevin told him off. "Nate, switch!" he called to his friend, but Nate was too busy trying to get to the Reggorfs' snowmen-and being firmly blocked by Ernest.

"Can't catch me!" Rodney was rolling around Kevin. Kevin rushed to the other side of the sphere and tried to reverse course, but only succeeded in falling flat on his face when he pushed too hard. In the meantime, Rodney took out another snowman. Nate finally came back to try and block him. Kevin shook himself off and tried pushing towards the Reggorfs' side of the stage. One of the snowmen was directly in his path, but Ernest quickly blocked him. "Brick wall, shrimp, I'm a brick wall," he sneered, pushing back so hard that Kevin's sphere was sent rolling backwards, and sent him tumbling head over heels inside it. With a low thump, his sphere took out one of his team's remaining snowmen. Perhaps mercifully, the bell sounded at this point. "That's it, you can stop the snowballs now," Caloo announced, "Let's tally up the totals: that's three snowmen knocked over for the orange team, and none for the green team, so that's another one hundred points to the Ravishing Reggorfs. And that means, it's Penalty Pod time for the green team."

Kevin's head was still spinning as his sphere was opened back up and a hand guided him out and into the seat next to Nate in the Penalty Pod. Moments later, the slime was dumped on his head, followed by the pie slapping into his face. "Lovely," he mused, stumbling out of the Pod blindly, "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"You had to push with more effort, Kevin," Nate upbraided him.

"I tried, Nate, believe me, I tried," Kevin took a towel off a stagehand and wiped himself off, "Rolling that thing was harder than it looked. Let's hope Sarah and Ethan have better luck with the next one."

He turned towards the center of the stage as Harley explained the next stunt: "Tomorrow night, of course, Santa will make his present deliveries all over the world. Today, you're going to get your chance to do it. When the clock starts, swing your partner around on the cantilever and maneuver them so they can grab a present from the stack. Then move them into place so they can drop the present down the chimney behind you. The team with the most presents at the end of sixty seconds wins."

"Teams all set?" Caloo asked the teams, who were in place. Sarah looked a bit nervous on the end of her cantilever, Kevin thought, as did Ethan at the base. _"Good luck; we're probably going to need it,"_ he wished in his mind. "Sixty seconds on the clock," Caloo declared, "On your mark, get set, go!"

"Go, go, go!" Nate shouted to his teammates. Ethan strained with the weight of the long pole, and as such, Sarah sailed past the presents the first time around without be able to get one. "Down, lower, Ethan!" Kevin called out a command. Ethan adjusted the next time around, and Sarah was able to snatch one this time. Looking a bit seasick, she nonetheless managed to drop the present into her chimney. "Good, good, keep that up!" Kevin yelled at them, "Keep the rhythm!"

Ethan struggled to keep the rhythm, and fortunately seemed to do it well enough for Sarah to grab and deposit several more packages before the clock ran out. "You can stop right there. Let's take a look at the final tally," Caloo approached the chimneys, "Green team has...one, two, three, four...five presents. Orange team has...one, two, three...four presents; that's one hundred points to the green team."

"YES!" Kevin pumped his fist in delight. "How's that for a girl's capabilities, huh?" he taunted William and Paul as they were led to the Penalty Pod.

"It's total war after this!" William shouted back before he and his brother got slimed and pied themselves. "OK, that makes the score four hundred fifty to four hundred in favor of the orange team," Caloo announced the current scores, "The final challenge is worth two hundred points and will involve all four team members..."

* * *

"Can't believe ya lost him," Harry muttered to Marv at the Luxor's bar.

"I lost him!? You was the who ran in here after him!" Marv protested. He took a swig of whiskey from his glass. "Oh well, if we're in here, might as well knock off a few of the slots," he said, glancing around greedily at the machines buzzing all around them.

"Only if we can do it quietly, Marv; I don't wanna risk losin' tomorrow's big job," Harry advised him, downing a shot of his beer.

"Harry," came the call from across the room. The rest of the Wet Bandits Gang were approaching. "Hiya boys," Harry greeted them, "Any word from the big guy yet?"

"Nothing from them. We did check into the Paris, though, great room," Lenny told him, "How about you?"

"The kid we hate's here. We kinda lost him, but we're glad we got the chance to try and rip him apart," Marv told them.

"That kid again?" Fingers was amazed, "How do you keep running into him everywhere?"

"I don't know. Now we just have to figure out where he went so we can..."

"Hold it, Marv," Harry interrupted, staring intently at the TV behind the bar. "Not looking for, found," he grinned darkly, for Splat Zone was playing on the TV, and Kevin was clearly visible on it. "Wow," Marv exclaimed, staring at it, "I didn't know he was a TV star..."

"Hey, pops," Harry yelled at the bartender, "Where're they tapin' that!?"

He pointed at the TV. "Oh, that's over at the Walley World Resort; they do Splat Zone live there," the bartender told him.

"We got him now, boys!" Harry bellowed, leaping to his feet, "Come on, let's go get him!"

"Hold it, Harry, hold it," Fingers jumped into his path, "Are you just going to run onto a live TV show to try and kill the kid you hate?"

"Hmm," Harry mused for a moment, "Yeah, I am. Marv, let's...Marv!" he snapped, dragging his partner away from the passing showgirl he was grinning at. "Can't this wait until after I get to meet her, Harry!?" Marv protested.

"Sex comes later, Marv; now it's time to kill...!"

* * *

"There is no greater holiday tradition than decorating the family Christmas tree," Harley described the final regular challenge, "And now our teams are going to decorate their own trees here. When the clock starts, the two selected players will bounce up and place the balls on the tree, three in a row. Once each row is fully in place, they can go for the star and place that at the top of the tree. If an ornament falls off, they'll have to start over and put it back on. The first team to complete the decorating of their tree, or the one furthest along in sixty seconds wins."

"All right, this could give the orange team a commanding lead, or the green team a reasonably good lead of their own," Caloo announced to the audience, "Are the jumpers secured on their harnesses?"

There were cheers from Nate and Sarah on Kevin's team and from Rodney and Paul on the Reggorfs' team. "All right, sixty seconds on the clock; let's see who has the lead after this one," the host stated, "On your mark, get set, go!"

"Here," Kevin tossed Nate one of the large rubber faux Christmas balls piled up at his and Ethan's feet. His friend bounced up on his harness and slipped it onto the designated hook, as did Sarah on the right side of the tree. "Next one," Kevin tossed another one to Nate, who bounced to the right, but just missed the hook he was aiming for there. "Never mind, here's the next one," Kevin flung him another one. He glanced to the left to take note of the Reggorfs' progress; they had the first row of balls hooked on and were starting on the second of the three rows. _"Speed it up guys, speed it up,"_ he mentally urged his team.

"Next one, Kevin," Nate called to him, the first row now complete. Kevin tossed another one to him, which Nate bounced up and hooked onto the second row...

...but no sooner had he landed back on the floor than it suddenly fell off with a soft thud. "Huh? Never mind, put another one on," Kevin delivered yet another one to his teammate, which Nate also hooked into place...but that one abruptly fell off as well. Kevin frowned. Something wasn't right here. He threw Nate another one and turned to watched the Reggorfs-and thought for a moment he saw a bright blue flash of some kind streaking from William's hand, right before the latest ball he'd given Nate fell down yet again. Kevin turned to alert the judges, but the bell rang before he could. "That's it, let's take a look. Orange team made it to the third level, green team only to the second, so that's two hundred points to the Ravishing Reggorfs," Caloo announced.

"Wait, I think they were cheating...!" Kevin tried to protest, but he was drowned out by the cheer of the crowd, and the stage crew immediately started wheeling the oversized Christmas trees away, taking any likely evidence of the apparent cheat with them. Kevin's face darkened. Now he REALLY wanted to win to show the Reggorfs up-without stooping to their level...

"Penalty Pod, please," a stagehand whispered in his ear. Reluctantly, Kevin took the walk over with the rest of his teammates and took the sliming and pie-throwing again. The four of them then, after wiping themselves off, hustled over to the green-colored sleigh that was set up at the white start/finish line of the race track that encircled the set completely. "And now, this is it, Splat Zone fans; the Chase for the Zone!" Caloo declared, gesturing the Reggorfs to the orange-colored sleigh next to the green one, "Orange team leads six hundred fifty to four hundred, but this race is worth five hundred points. Our teams will complete three laps of the course with their sleighs, and will try not to let the descending slime, water, and other impediments stop them. At each crossing of the finish line, the pushers and the riders will switch positions. Orange team, since you have the lead, you have the inside track and with it the advantage. First team to cross the finish line gets the five hundred points and the right to enter the Splat Zone. Take your initial positions please."

"Who's going where?" Ethan asked the rest of his teammates.

"I want the anchor role, and I want Sarah with me," Kevin said firmly, grabbing hold of the bar on the back of the sleigh and gesturing Sarah next to him.

"Figures you'd want a girl to show how weak you are," William snickered next to him.

"I know you were cheating just now," Kevin pointed an accusing finger at him, "You're all going down. And don't try anything here."

He gripped the handlebars hard, staring up the track. "Everyone ready?" Caloo asked the participants, hefting a green flag, "On your mark, get set, GO!"

"Push hard," Kevin shoved for all it was worth. His sleigh lurched down the track, just slightly behind the Reggorfs'.

"This is heavy," Sarah protested, pushing as hard as she could.

"You're doing good, let's just stay with them," Kevin angled the sleigh around the audience turn. Seeing a large gak container over the track directly ahead of them, he squinted his eyes shut seconds before it was dropped all over them, prompting groans from Nate and Ethan in the sleigh's seat. "Oil slicks ahead, guys," the former called out a warning. A slick substance was being sprayed on the track right ahead. Kevin slipped and slid, but kept his balance. And they remained half a length behind the Reggorfs as they approached the starting line again. "Quick switch, quick switch!" Kevin braked to a stop and dove for the sleigh's seat. Sarah joined him seconds later, and Nate and Ethan started pushing from behind. "Whipped cream guns in place to the right," Sarah's warning came a split second too late; Ethan yelped as he was sprayed with the whipped cream, and their sleigh inched to a stop. "Shake it off; we've got to keep going!" Nate upbraided him.

"Couldn't help it, sorry!" Ethan started pushing again. The delay had cost them some time, but they were able to make it up when a load of cotton candy was dumped from above the track on the Reggorfs, slowing them down a bit. "Go, go, go!" Kevin could hear Julian cheering them on in the front row. Even Danielle was watching the race with some interest, he saw when they passed by-although she looked away when she saw him looking towards her. "Go get them, go get them!" Sidney was into the race as well, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. Kevin grinned at the big child inside the bellboy...

...when his train of though was broken by the sound of Ethan and Nate yelping and falling down again. They had slipped and wiped out on the chocolate oil slicks. Their sleigh veered halfway off the track. ""Get up, quick!" Sarah begged them.

"Sorry," the other boys, now covered completely in chocolate, leaped back up and started pushing again. But they'd fallen well behind now, and the Reggorfs had completed their last switch and were starting the final lap. _"We're not going to lose like this,"_ Kevin thought firmly. He leaped over the back of the sleigh when they reached the starting line again and grabbed the bar in a flash. "Let's do it," he told Sarah. She nodded with a firm expression. The two of them pushed off as hard as they could. And slowly but surely, they started narrowing the gap with their opponents. And so, as they passed the audience for the final time, they were neck and neck with the Reggorfs again. "How are you still here!?" Ernest was amazed that they were still hanging with he and his brothers.

"You chose to mock the wrong team. Have a nice day," Kevin told them sternly. He reached deep down for an extra burst of speed, as did Sarah. Stunned, the Reggorfs did the same. Side by side, the two teams streaked back towards the finish line, where Caloo stood with a checkered flag. "Here we come; this looks like a photo finish, aaaaaaaaand..." he swooped the flag down the instant both teams crossed the finish line, "...and I think this_ is_ a photo finish; this is a first!" he exclaimed, "Judges, could we have the video in slow motion on the monitors please?"

"Please have made it, please have made it!" Nate begged out loud, jumping off the sleigh and zeroing his gaze on the nearest monitor. Kevin glanced worriedly at it as well, hoping his and Sarah's last bursts had been enough. The video appeared on the screen, both sleighs inching towards the finish line, and as they reached it...

"YES!" he shrieked, leaping into Sarah's arms and jumping up and down in delight; the image on the screen showed conclusively the front edge of their sled had crossed the finish line a split second before the Reggorfs' had. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT!" Nate was equally ecstatic, jumping on top of Kevin as well, "Take that, you cheating Neanderthals!" he taunted the stunned Reggorfs.

"But...but...but...!" Ernest stammered weakly, "We can't have lost...!"

"Sorry, Ravishing Reggorfs, but a very good effort by you nonetheless," Caloo consoled them, "Final score, Shermer Strike Force nine hundred, Ravishing Reggorfs six fifty. And that means you get the ultimate experience in the Penalty Pod as a parting gift."

"But...but...but...!" Ernest continued stammering, but it did him no good, for he and his brothers were led back to the Penalty Pod, where they were once more slimed and pied, and then had eggs dropped on their heads and whipped cream squirted in their faces. "We have some nice parting gifts for the orange team and thank them for playing today. But green team, the day belongs to you," Caloo turned to Kevin and his teammates, leading them to cheer again, "In a few minutes, you'll have the chance to undertake the ultimate experience on television, the run through the Splat Zone, so everyone stay right here and don't miss it."

"And, we're out," the floor director announced again. "We are the champions!" Ethan half-sang, lifting Kevin and Sarah up onto his shoulder with much effort.

"We did earn it-so feel good," Kevin high-fived Sarah.

"I do," she was smiling happily, "I just hope my Mom got to see it somehow..."

* * *

"That's my Sarah, that's my Sarah!" an ecstatic Mrs. Tafton was in fact standing and applauding the television screen back at O'Hare. "I didn't know she had that in her," she happily told Kate next to her.

"Well, she certainly did good; they all did good," Kate was also beaming with pride at Kevin's role in the win, "It's times like this that..."

"OK, Mrs. McCallister, everyone, your plane to Las Vegas is ready," a gate attendant called from across the concourse, "It's now boarding over here at Gate Seventy-Seven."

"Thank you. OK everyone, let's go get them and bring them home," Kate declared to everyone, starting towards the gate...

"Well forget it; I'm not going," a sharp voice rang out from the back of the pack. Kate spun. "What did you say!?" she asked her oldest child, stunned.

"You heard what I said; I'm not going," Buzz told her curtly, folding his arms across his chest, "I'm tired of the little stain ruining every Christmas we have, and I refuse to stick my neck out for him any further..."

"Buzz Leland McCallister, you will not talk about your brother that way!" Kate roared, taking ominous steps towards him.

"Yeah, and there's my point; it's all about him anymore, isn't it!?" Buzz remained unrepentant, "Kevin this, Kevin that, even though all he's done the last few years is make a complete fool of himself and life miserable for us. I mean, I'm glad he didn't burn the house down when we first left him behind, but I..."

"That's enough, young man," Peter stepped forward, furious himself now, "If you can only think of yourself when your brother's alone in a major city...!"

"So what else is new!? Go save your precious kid if you want, but I want no part of it," Buzz turned away from them, "I'm tired of him taking all the limelight in this family anymore..."

"And we're tired of you acting like king of the family, Buzz!" Megan shouted in his face, "Come to think of it, I think you set Kevin up each time he got sent to the attic the last two years! So technically, we can say everything that happened to him was YOUR fault...!"

"So what if I did!? I have no reason to be sorry for anything I did when he's..."

"What was that!? You weren't sorry for what happened at the concert last year!?" Peter glared furiously in Buzz's face, making him shrink down a little, "You know, I think Megan's right, Buzz; you have been getting away with too much lately!"

"So do I," Kate was livid herself, "So once we do get Kevin back home safely, mister," she fixed Buzz with a murderous expression, "consider yourself grounded to the attic until Easter!"

"Easter!? That's a violation of my constitutional rights!" Buzz protested, "I can sue and win, you know...!"

"MEMORIAL DAY!" Kate roared in carnal rage right in his face, making Buzz shrink down in terror, "And if you say anything like you just did about your brother on this flight, we'll extend it to the rest of the summer! Now let's go!" she started dragging him forcibly by the arm towards the gate and down the gangway, "You're going to apologize to Kevin when we find him for everything you've done to him, and you're going to mean every word of it, buster!"

"Come on, you guys, I'm not the bad guy, here! Somebody back me up!" Buzz desperately protested to the rest of his family.

"Sorry, Buzz, but what goes around comes around," Fuller told him firmly. Everyone else nodded in agreement and brushed past Buzz onto the plane without looking at him. "Sit here, and don't make any trouble!" Kate ordered her eldest son, all but pushing him down into the last seat in the back of the plane. She stomped up to the front of the plane and plopped down in the seat closest to the cockpit on the starboard side. "I'm sorry, Kevin, I should have known," she said to the stars outside the window, "I should have known it wasn't you that instigated everything. We're going to make it right when we get there. Just hold on a little longer..."

* * *

"One minute to air," the floor director announced. Kevin nodded at the man from the front row of the audience. "OK, then, who gets to run the Zone?" he asked the rest of his teammates.

"I think it should really be you, Kevin," Julian told him, "Since you were the catalyst behind the big push at the end, it should really be your honor."

"Well, it was a group effort with Sarah," Kevin admitted modestly.

"But he's right, it should be you," Sarah told him. The rest of the Shermer Strike Force nodded in unison. "OK, I guess it'll be me, then," Kevin acceded. "Nate, you're the most athletic of the rest of us; you want to be the alternate in case I get taken out by the monsters?" he asked his friend.

"Guess I can live with that," Nate nodded, looking excited to have the honor.

"Thirty seconds," came the announcement. Kevin trotted with Nate over to where Caloo was now standing by the iron doors to the Splat Zone. "Congratulations," he told them, "Will you two be the ones to attempt the run?"

"That's what we've decided, Kirk," Kevin told him.

"All right, here's the Medallion of Valor you earned, then," Caloo handed one to him, "Use it well. And we're back with the victorious Shermer Strike Force," the host announced once they were back on the air, "And now, they get the honor to navigate the Splat Zone." He glanced down at Kevin and Nate, "Who's going first?"

"I will," Kevin raised his hand.

"All right then, let's see what configuration the Splat Zone has taken today. Open the doors!" Caloo gestured his hand grandly, signaling the iron doors to slid open, followed later by the wall itself sliding apart to reveal the multi-storied Splat Zone in all its glory. And atop Mount St. Splat Zone on the far left, Kevin could make out the trophy in its vestibule on the top of the peak. Now the problem would be getting to it and getting out of the Zone within the time limit, he knew; only one contender had successfully done so thus far this season. "Well, it looks like there's quite a trip you're going to have today, Kevin," Caloo exclaimed, "Harley, tell him the exact path he's going to have to take."

"All right, Kevin, here's how it's going to work for you today," Harley began, "When Kirk says go, you're going to follow the red arrows through the Splat Zone on your way to the top of Mount St. Splat Zone. You'll start by going through the gate and running up the treadmill to the first level. From there, you'll go up the Banana Split Slide and down into today's tasty concoction. You'll follow that up by crossing the dreaded spinning bridge over the Pudding Pit; be careful, or you'll lose your balance and precious time climbing back up. From there, you'll dive through the Chompers and down the Digestive Tract into the Stomach. From there, you'll move on into the Heart. Crawl through the veins and slid down into the Sewer, where you'll have to pull the cord and get yourself gakked in order to find the key to escape. Your next stop will be the Swamp, where the next key is buried. Be careful; the trees might be inhabited by dangerous spirits. Escape from the Swamp, and you'll enter the Well. Jump in the bucket and take a ride up into the Snow Globe. Another key is buried under the snow inside the globe, and you'll have to find it in the middle of a sudden snowstorm, so to speak. Once you manage to escape the Snow Globe, navigate the Suspension Bridge, and you'll be ready to begin your ascent of Mount St. Splat Zone. But be alert, for the volcano will begin to erupt the moment you start to climb it, and there'll be dangerous avalanches, fog, and snowstorms to contend with. Grab the Victor's Trophy, and take the zip line down into the Balloon Lagoon, where you'll have to climb some walls and navigate the Ball Room. Next stop is our Cargo Net, which leads to a steep climb to the top of the Ice Caverns. Maneuver your way down through them and start on the home stretch. Rush down the Assembly Line, through the Car Wash, and then the Shower Room, and choose the right wall to swing through. Only one will not be guarded by a monster. You'll have three minutes to complete this task; good luck."

"Indeed, the best of luck to you, Kevin," Caloo added to him, "Now remember that several of these chambers in the Splat Zone may be guarded by the Zone Monsters. You have one Medallion of Valor to use to ensure you can continue on, but if you run into a Zone Monster and don't have one, you'll be removed from the Splat Zone, and Nate will enter and try to complete the run before time runs out, or before he runs into a Zone Monster himself. The Zone Monsters guarding the exits will not count towards this. If either of you successfully brings the Victor's Trophy out of the Splat Zone before the three minutes are up, Harley, tell them what they're going to win!"

"It's an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama!" Harley declared, "Your whole team and their families will be flown round trip first class for two weeks of space training. It's a prize package worth $6,824!"

"A trip well worth it. It's difficult to beat the Splat Zone, but it has on occasion been done before. Take your place, Kevin, and let's get ready to rock," Caloo told him. Kevin inserted his mouthpiece and took his place at the starting line, his adrenaline pumping. "Open the gate to the Splat Zone!" Caloo commanded, prompting the gate to slide downward into the stage floor. "Let's put three minutes on the clock. Audience, let's cheer the Shermer Strike Force on..."

"THERE HE IS, HARRY!" came an unwelcome voice from the other side of the stage. Kevin turned and gasped to see the burglars charging across the stage towards him, blind fury on their faces. "On your mark, get set, go!" he shouted into Caloo's microphone, and took off running into the Splat Zone before Caloo realized what was happening. "One side, pal!" Harry bellowed, shoving Caloo aside. "Cover the exits, boys; make sure he don't get out before we get him!" he shouted back over his shoulder. Kevin turned and gulped to see three additional men, two with guns and one with a switchblade, charging up to the gate and blocking it. The Bad Guys had brought reinforcements, he realized, and it stood to reason these men probably weren't as dumb as his longtime foes. But he'd worry about them later, for the burglars were right behind him-and he was on the clock now anyway...

He huffed and puffed to run up the treadmill, hitting the deck as another shot rang out behind him. He scrambled back to his feet and weaved from side to side, trying to avoid the follow up shots. "Hold still, ya little rat!" Harry roared, firing another shot that just missed Kevin's shoulder. Kevin took a leap and just managed to grab hold of the platform at the top of the treadmill. He pulled himself up and raced for the chocolate covered ramp to the top of the Banana Split Slide. There came a loud yell from behind him, however, and he felt hands grab his ankles. "I gotcha! I got him, Harry!" Marv shouted in delight, straining to hold on tight, "Just give up, kid, you ain't got...!"

Kevin quickly scooped up a handful of chocolate from the ramp and rubbed it in Marv's face, distracting him enough to break away. Marv followed him up the ramp, his legs slipping and sliding all over the place from the chocolate. Kevin reached the top and slid down the slide towards the whipped cream banana split set up in the tray at the bottom...

...gasping when Harry leaped into his path at the bottom of the slide and took dead aim at him again. Thinking quickly, Kevin stood up and leaped under Harry's legs. Harry turned around and watched him go by in amazement-then turned back and cried out right before Marv, coming down the slide himself, crashed into Harry, sending them both falling over backwards into the faux banana split. Kevin came to a brief stop at the rotating cylinder that provided passage over the Pudding Pit. This part almost always threw guests off, as maintaining balance always proved difficult. Still, he really had no choice but to try.

He ran full tilt onto the rotating cylinder...and almost immediately lost his balance and fell with a splat into the several pounds of green and blue pudding below. "Aha, he messed up!" came Marv's shout from above. The taller crook let out an ear-splitting Tarzan-style yell and dove down towards Kevin...and missed him completely, face-planting into the pudding. Above him, Harry, rolling his eyes at his partner's stupidity, tried crossing the cylinder to try and cut Kevin off, but lost his footing and also fell into the pit. Kevin, meanwhile, frantically waded his way through the pudding and started climbing up the foot holds along the way. He dodged another shot from an enraged Harry and stole a glance at the clock on the overhead monitors: two minutes and thirty-eight seconds left to complete the run successfully, if he could manage it.

The climb to the top seemed to take an eternity, but he did put some distance between himself and the burglars, who had just started climbing by the time he reached the top. Next ahead of him was the Chompers, a menacing robot-like head with a jaw of sharp-looking teeth that moved up and down. Kevin waited until it had opened all the way before rushing forward and diving head first down the pea soup-covered Digestive Tract into the Stomach, today filled with more disgusting-looking pea soup and some oversized fake spaghetti and meatballs. Kevin swam through the mess, but it was thick enough to slow him down somewhat. And behind him, Marv's voice rang out, "Bombs away!" and he could hear the crook sliding down the chute after him. He quickly grabbed hold of one of the oversized faux meatballs and hurled it at Marv when he came into view, bonking the burglar on the head. Groaning, Marv rose to his feet, clutching his head-and was run into by a sliding Harry, sending them toppling head first into the pea soup mix, Kevin swam to the edge, climbed out, and hit an actuator on the wall to open the trapdoor to the Heart. He crawled hard through knee-deep red whipped cream on the floor of the tunnel, which twisted around in circles in the Heart structure, before leading to another slide that led down into the stone-walled Sewer. He ran for the rope that would drop the key...

...and gasped as an ominous-looking minotaur leaped out from behind a hidden door, its hands extended menacingly. Kevin quickly dug through his pockets. "Here, take it!" he pressed his Medallion of Valor into the minotaur's hand, making the minotaur turn and leave. He hoped he wouldn't run into another monster along the way, or he'd really be on his own.

"Aha, got the drop on ya, kid!" Harry and Marv unexpectedly leaped out from around the front of the Sewer. They had to have skipped the Heart to save time, Kevin realized. His fear quickly subsided, however, when he realized he still had an ace in this room. He waited until the burglars were just about to grab him, then pulled the rope in his hands. Immediately, a shower of slime drenched the two men. "DOOOOOOOOH, FATCHA RATCHA CRIPPIJA FRIVIT ROKE...!" Harry muttered out loud in disgust, stumbling around blindly into an equally blind Marv. Kevin saw the key on the floor amid the slime, grabbed it, and jammed it into the keyhole on the wall, popping the door to the Swamp open. He caught another glimpse of the clock outside: a minute fifty-nine now. Hopefully the next room would be easy to get through.

He found lots of water, shrubbery, and a line of inflatable alligators waiting for him on the other side. Realizing he could save time, he jumped from alligator to alligator, but fell into the water just before he reached the other end. "There he is!" Harry yelled, diving out of the tunnel into the water, followed by Marv. Kevin frantically swam the rest of the way to the wall, ducked under the grasping hands of a tree that tried to grab him and eliminate him, then plowed through the breakaway stones into the Well. He leaped into the bucket and threw the switch on the wall that sent it rising slowly up-but the burglars grabbed hold of the bottom of the bucket before it could rise out of their reach. "Ya ain't gettin' away from us that easy, kid!" Harry roared, straining to climb up, "There ain't nowhere to run now!"

Kevin rocked hard from side to side, slamming the burglars hard into the walls repeatedly until they finally let go in a daze and fell to the floor below. The bucket reached the top of the shaft. He hit the nearest button and climbed into the Snow Globe, but no sooner did he bend down to look for the key than a blizzard of mashed potato snow rose up around him. He shoveled the "snow" aside, desperate to find the key before the burglars reached the Snow Globe-but with furious huffing, they now did. "I can't see a thing in here, Harry," Marv, however, made it clear he couldn't see him through the faux blizzard.

"He's gotta be in here; root around for him, Marv."

"Never mind, I got him, Harry!" Marv exclaimed excitedly, holding on tight to something shaking.

"That's my leg, ya moron!" Harry roared at him, followed by the sound of a crowbar hitting a skull. It was at this moment Kevin found the key in the potato snow. He crawled towards the escape hatch, jammed the key in, and pushed it open. Mount St. Splat Zone loomed in front of him now. The clock now read a minute twenty-four. He was still reasonably on time if he didn't take too long getting up the mountain or ran into a monster at the wrong time.

He raced across the Suspension Bridge and started up the trail. The mountain was rumbling; it was going to erupt any minute now, he knew. Blasts of rain and snow were also starting to erupt from hidden locations on the mountain all around him. He shielded his eyes from the maelstrom, hoping there would be at least one moment where he could take a breather. But the sound of gunshots shattering the Snow Globe, which sent the snowstorm of mashed potatoes blowing up onto the pathway, and the angry shouts of the mashed potato-covered crooks rushing across the bridge and up the mountain after him, made it clear that he was not going to get a breather. He ducked an avalanche of foam boulders-which fortunately crashed into the burglars and knocked them off their feet below-and then a shower of slime lava from the now erupting volcano. It seemed like the whole mountain was trying to impede his progress now, he felt.

Nonetheless, he made steady progress up the trail, and finally reached the top of the mountain. He grabbed the Victor's Trophy, then seized the nearby zip line and zoomed down off the mountain into the Balloon Lagoon, sending dozens of balloons skyward. Kevin scrambled out of the lagoon, huffing heavily now. He had to strain to get over the Wall into the Ball Room with the trophy; exhaustion was starting to set in. But he couldn't stop, for the burglars were now sliding down the zip line after him. Marv, with another loud yell, leaped sideways off the line towards him, but fortunately only managed to slam face-first into the Wall and topple backwards with a loud groan into the Balloon Lagoon. Kevin slogged his way through the Ball Room, and up the Cargo Net. His muscles couldn't take much more, and he was feeling short of breath. Another shot from Harry that winged by his face, however, was more than enough of a prompt to keep going. The clock was down to thirty-seven seconds now, he saw upon reaching the entrance to the Ice Caverns. He could still win if he hurried...

He pulled himself through the narrow ledges of the Ice Caverns, past the dangling icicles and hanging bats decorating the walls. Finally, he had to stop for a moment at the bottom from sheer exhaustion. _"No, don't stop!"_ he warned himself, _"You're not safe till you get out of here!" _

_"But I can't go any further!"_ his mind also argued, _"This is just too exhausting...!" _

"Aha!" to his horror, Harry, who'd apparently climbed around the bottom of the ice caverns as he'd done before with the Heart, jumped out in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, "Couldn't run from us forever, could ya?"

Kevin pulled off Harry's glove and sank his teeth into the shorter crook's hand, making him yowl and release him. With the last ditch burst of energy he had left, he ran down the Assembly Line, ducking under stomping mechanical feet and pounding hammers. He gasped as a werewolf jumped out of the wall and ran towards him to capture him and end his run. "Oh no ya don't he's mine!" Harry tackled the Zone Monster, saving Kevin from elimination.

"Don't worry, Harry, I'll save ya!" Marv, having wasted time crawling down the Ice Caverns, and thus now covered in white whipped cream on top of everything else, rushed over to help his partner.

"Forget this guy; get the kid before he gets outta here!" Harry shoved the werewolf to the floor. He and Marv raced through the Car Wash and Showers. "We got ya now, kid!" he bellowed, taking a flying leap at Kevin, who was grabbing hold of the rope to swing through the exit wall.

"That what you think!" Kevin ducked, and Harry sailed over his head, crashing through the leftmost segment of the exit wall and bowling over the man with the switchblade. _"Please pick the right one!"_ Kevin begged in his mind, hoping the wall he was going through would be unguarded either by Zone Monsters or the Bad Guys' cohorts. Clutching the Victor's Trophy tight, he swung hard and plowed through the wall...

...which was indeed undefended and clear. To his right, the two other men with guns turned towards him, but were promptly knocked off their feet as Marv, inexplicably choosing not to go through an open wall passage, plowed through the one they were standing behind, sending them all tumbling to the floor. Kevin crawled forward with the trophy and crossed the red finish line seconds before the clock ran out with a loud buzz. "You did it, you did it!" Caloo hefted him to his feet, "I don't know what all this other bit was with these other guys, but you did it! How does it feel!?"

"Exhausting, very exhausting," Kevin glanced nervously at the crooks stumbling around trying to get to their feet; the quicker they got out of there, the better.

"WE DID IT!" an ecstatic Nate leaped into his arms, followed by the rest of his team, plus Julian and Danielle (although Julian had dragged her over, Kevin could clearly see), "That was incredible, Kev! We're going to Space Camp!"

"Good, now let's get going!" Kevin gulped to see the burglars back on their feet. "Thanks for everything, Kirk!" he told the host in parting before breaking into a run towards the studio door, his friends in tow. "Move it again!" Harry once more pushed Caloo aside to continue his pursuit of Kevin, his colleagues right behind him. "Um, well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not quite sure who these gentlemen are, or what they're doing here, but nonetheless, that was an amazing run by the Shermer Strike Force," a confused Caloo told the home audience, "Which just goes to show you that anything is possible within the confines of the Splat Zone. Take care everyone, and we'll see you again after the holidays..."


	12. A Parting of the Ways

"I'll tell you one thing for sure, Kevin; these guys don't know when to give up," Ethan huffed, taking a glance over his shoulder at the crooks still charging after them.

"Believe me, I know; I put them through enough stuff that would stop normal guys, and they just keep coming," Kevin stumbled out of his Splat Zone uniform and snatched up his backpack from the table it was sitting on backstage, "We've got to get security and get them arrested quick-DOWN!" he pushed everything within arm's reach down as another shot rang out, zinging over their heads.

"Better head for the lobby; there's got to be security guys on duty out there," Julian reasoned.

"Probably. Ditch the uniforms in case we have to lose them in a crowd," Kevin instructed everyone else who'd been on the team with him. He burst through the door to the lobby and slammed it shut. He pushed against the door, hoping to buy enough time for everyone to undress into their regular clothing. The door strained from the pushing of all the criminals behind it. Kevin pushed back for all it was worth. "Where's Sidney? Wasn't he watching where we went!?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"We must have left too soon for him to catch up-we're ready," Nate called to him.

"OK, go!" Kevin released his grip on the door, sending everyone pushing on it toppling flat on their faces from the sudden loss of pressure. He quickly scanned the lobby. "There, the guy at the desk!" he recognized Les talking to Stone by check-in, "He can call security for us! Come on!"

He led the rush up to Les. "Mister, call security, we're being pursued!" he announced breathlessly.

"Oh, it's you," a dark look spread on Les's face, "I've been waiting for you kids to come back, after we got the call that Mr. Charles Lindhurst is actually a whole continent away, and that you've been shopping up a storm with that credit card you used to check in."

"That's my father's card, and I'm perfectly entitled to use it...!" Danielle shouted at him.

"Save us the dog and pony show. You kids are going down for credit card fraud. Mr. Stone, place them under arrest and have them locked up in the city jail," Les instructed the security chief.

"With pleasure-no you don't," Stone grabbed Kevin's arm when he tried to run, "You're all coming with me...!"

"Hey, give 'em here!" Harry bellowed, running up with his gang in tow, "We'll take them from here!"

"I am chief of security here, and I'll handle this, mister!" Stone warned him.

"You don't understand, we got a long history with this kid, and we wanna finish him ourselves, so gimme!" Marv grabbed Kevin's other arm and started pulling.

"I don't care what you have with him, you're making a scene and ruining your cover, so let me do my job!" Stone pulled back.

"If ya don't give him up, we'll take him by force!" Harry leveled his gun at Stone.

"You know, gentlemen, this isn't really the time and place to force the issue!" Les hissed nervously at Harry under his breath, "You could jeopardize our whole mission by shooting at kids and make a scene in here...!"

"Can it, pops; we want blood, and we're gonna get it!" Harry shouted, reaching for Kevin's throat.

"Hey, leave the kid alone!" Sidney finally appeared, to Kevin's enormous relief, and snatched him away, "He hasn't done anything to anyone here...!"

"Mind your own business, fat boy!" Harry threatened him, "The kid's ours!"

"You're not going to touch him or anyone of these other kids," Sidney threatened him back, "And know that if you try anything, I have a black belt in Akito," he lifted up his trouser leg, "And the boots to match."

"And you're risking your job standing up for these kids, Evangeline, because they're all guilty of credit card fraud," Les told him sternly, "They checked in with the card of a man in Singapore at the moment. So they're going with Stone to jail. Hand the kid over to him."

"No," Sidney leaned right in his face, "They're not hurting anyone, and they certainly don't belong behind bars."

"I'm warning you, Evangeline, hand him over or you're fired!" Les warned him. "You people move along!" he shouted at all the bystanders watching the scene, "There's nothing going on here. Take the kid, Stone!" he ordered the security chief.

Stone grabbed for Kevin-only to take an Akito kick square to the chest from Sidney. "Run, get out of here," he instructed Kevin, "I'll hold them off."

"Thanks. Go, guys, go!" Kevin waved everyone to run after him towards the front door...

...but it was promptly blocked by a trio of glaring security guards, who quickly extracted guns from their pockets. "Back, back...on second thought, turn!" Kevin realized the Wet Bandits gang was right behind them and leaped to the side just in time. But security guards were circling all around them, and Sidney was too busy trying to keep Stone down to help them now. "They've got us surrounded; now what!?" Julian asked out loud, dodging one guard who dove right at him.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Kevin weaved away from more guards and the large hulking henchman of the Bad Guys.

"I don't have to worry; I can just turn myself in and explain everything, and I'll be home free," Danielle was only slightly worried.

"And you think these guys are going to care about that!? They WANT to send us to jail, in case you didn't notice! Side entrance!" Nate pointed an additional escape door to their right-but the long haired thug cut them off. "Going somewhere!?" he sneered, activating his switchblade, "I've wanted to gut a kid for a long time now. Who's first?"

"I GOT THEM, HARRY!" Marv took a flying leap towards the children from behind, but sailed over them and slammed into Sam, sending them both to the floor. Two more security guards, however, rushed forward and blocked the door again. Kevin leaped backwards when they tried to grab him. "The elevators!" he realized, "Let's go back up to our floor!"

"More company over there, though!" Ethan pointed towards the elevators, which was being swarmed by guards who'd seen them heading in that direction. Kevin saw one elevator opening up. "Everyone do what I do all together," he commanded, "Right...now!"

Just as he had the previous year at the Plaza, he dove hard and slid under the legs of the guard right in front of the elevator, a slide that had enough momentum to carry him inside. Everyone else slid in as well-but Sarah only generated enough momentum to get halfway inside, and an enraged Stone dove forward and grabbed her legs and tried to pull her back. Thinking quickly, Kevin jumped back out and tickled Stone hard under his left armpit. Stone broke out laughing long enough to release Sarah. Kevin grabbed her arm and pulled her back inside before the guards could grab them, and seconds before the door slide shut and the elevator started rising. "That was even worse than last year's lobby chase," he lamented, slumping against the elevator door. Then his rage boiled over. "I told you that you were spending too much!" he rounded on Danielle, "One or more of the stores on the Strip must have called the hotel here and tipped security off! I hope you're happy now, Danielle!"

"Yeah, this is your fault!" Nate also lambasted her. For a moment, Kevin thought he saw Danielle's lip quivering, as if she was about to break down in tears at the accusation; indeed, she almost did look ashamed. Then she forced a haughty look onto her face. "It most certainly is not my fault; the rest of you had to buy a lot too," she retorted back, although not all together convincingly, "And if we're going to the top floor again, McCallister, you've just boxed us into a corner. How are we supposed to escape here now, may I ask?"

"I don't know; I'm making this up as I go!" Kevin admitted sharply, "I'm not an all-knowing seer!"

"Well, let's make them see what you've done before; let's rig up our room and let them get smashed silly like you did to them before," Julian proposed, looking quite eager to participate in giving the Wet Bandits a beat down.

"Love to, Julian, but it's not going to work here; two or three rooms with easy sightlines won't stop them, and we'd have no way to get out after they get back on their feet," Kevin pointed out, "And what are we going to use? Some soap and mattresses? The first year, I had my house and knew everything in it; last year, I was lucky to find my uncle's brownstone and lots of convenient things in it. We don't have that luck this year. We can't do it, not now and not right here, at least."

He sighed at being unable to immediately do what he'd done before. "But if you guys heard them down there, the Bad Guys know the staff here," he pointed out, frowning, "Something's going on, and I think they're in cahoots together. If we get out of this all right, we should find out what the story is."

"So what IS the plan, then?" Ethan grilled him. Kevin thought hard. "Go to our room, grab our stuff, and get out down the fire escape-and hope they haven't cut it off," he reasoned, "Then go to the police..."

"No way, these guys are close to the police," Nate vetoed it, "The cops'll believe them over us."

"Well we have to try," Kevin paused as the elevator came to a stop at their floor, "Anyway, let's just get our things and be out of here," he declared. The six of them rushed out the door and turned to the left...

"Aha," Burke, grinning darkly, stepped out of his hotel room, "I knew you'd come up here if Mr. Stone couldn't stop you. Take them, men," he called out loud. About a dozen security guards poured out Burke's room, guns at the ready. Kevin gasped and backpedalled, but the elevator had swung shut behind them. They were cornered with nowhere to run. "OK kids, just come along quietly," one snickering guard advanced towards them, "It's a nice quiet night in jail for all of you."

"Guess again!" Nate jumped up and pulled the nearby fire alarm. The alarm bells clanged shrilly, sending people running out of their rooms in a panic. Fortuitously, many of them stumbled into the guards, knocking them down. Kevin looked around. Too many guards were still clustered around the fire exit down the hall, but they had at least bought time to get their things. Hopefully once they had, the odds would be more in their favor. For now...

"To the room, quick!" he instructed everyone. He rushed towards their room and jammed the card key into the slot-but saw a furious Burke rushing him with his arms outstretched. "In, quick," he waved everyone inside, slammed the door shut before Burke could reach him, locked it, and grabbed a nearby chair and jammed it against the lock. The knob jiggled furiously. "Break this thing down, now!" Burke could be heard ordering the guards. Kevin jumped back as the door rattled hard. Clearly, the door wouldn't hold for long. "Well, now see what you've done, McCallister; now you've gotten us really good and trapped!" Danielle shouted in his ear, "Where are we supposed to go from here!?"

"I have another idea," Kevin ran into the girls' room and yanked the comforter off the bed, "This is what I did last year at the Plaza when the concierge snooped around in my room. "I just hope it works like this. I'll need two of you; Nate, Sarah, come with me. The rest of you, hide under the beds until we get rid of them."

"Harder!" Burke shouted outside. The door shuddered and started cracking off its hinges. Kevin knew they didn't have much time. He raced into the bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. "Nate, in the tub; Sarah, on his shoulders," he instructed them, digging around in his bag for his Talkboy, "I hope I didn't erase this...!"

He rewound the tape and played it, then rewound again. But on the third rewind, Uncle Frank's voice came on. He breathed a sigh of relief and rewound to the very beginning of the clip. "OK," he pulled the shower curtain closed, climbed up onto Sarah's shoulders and draped the blanket over all three of them, "We're going to have to coordinate this just right for this to work. When I start this, move in rhythm to the music like you're singing along to the song. And keep doing it until I tell you otherwise, and stay completely quiet too-and hope they don't realize something's up."

There came a loud crash as the door caved into their room. Kevin took a nervous breath. This attempt at the familiar trick had a larger degree of possible failure without the convenient inflatable clown to project a convincing human figure. And he could feel Nate starting to sway from their weight below him; hopefully they'd be able to remain erect as long as eyes were on the bathroom. "The bathroom, I hear somebody in there! Go, go!" came Burke's shout from outside. "OK," he whispered nervously to his friends, "Here we go...now!"

He hit the Talkboy's Play button. "We know a guy who can really do the Cool Jerk," Uncle Frank's voice boomed out loud. Kevin almost lost his balance once Sarah started swaying along with Nate below him, but regained it by locking his ankles to the sides of her head. The bathroom door burst open. "AAAAACCCK! S-S-S-Sorry, sir," one of the guards stammered, "Wrong room, Mr. Burke," he announced.

"Wait a minute, I don't remember any man coming into this room. What's the story here!?" Burke's footsteps stomped into the bathroom, "You there, who are you!?" he demanded, "How did you get in here!?"

_"Don't come any closer!"_ Kevin begged; the last thing he wanted was Burke coming closer, not until the right moment. Fortunately, luck remained with him for the moment, for Burke remained where he was, shouting, "Can you even hear what I'm saying, buster!? Some kids ran in here; did you see or hear anything!? I'll give you till the count of three to answer, then I'm coming over there, and I don't care what you look like in there!"

"Get ready to turn and point at him," Kevin whispered as softly as he could; the music was starting to crescendo to a climax. He pleaded it would reach the critical point before Burke came over. He listened closely to the tape as Burke starting counting down outside: "...on their faces, they wear a silly smirk, because they know I'm the king of the Coooooool Jerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkk!" "Turn!" he hissed, spinning his body to the left with the others just in time, as Burke was storming towards the shower. "Sarah, point now!" he hissed again, hoping it would work. Fortunately, it did; Sarah thrust her finger at Burke seconds before he grabbed the shower curtain, and at the exact moment Uncle Frank bellowed, "Get out of here, you nosy little pervert, or I'm going to slap you silly!" on the tape. "YIIIIIIIII!" Burke yelped, diving backwards onto his rear end, "Sorry, sir, we'll leave you now, sir! Let's go, now!" he ordered the guards, who hastily left the bathroom. Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. "OK, that at least buys us some time," he declared, stopping the tape and starting to climb down off his friend's shoulders.

"So now what?" Sarah asked him, "There's probably still a lot of guards out there."

"Yeah, the floor's probably still swarming with them. We're still boxed in," Nate pointed out. Kevin thought hard. "Wait," he realized, "I saw the wire Marty slides down at night to start the fireworks show's right outside the window. "Anyone want to go for a slide?"

Too late, he heard footsteps stomping back towards the tub. Seconds later, the shower curtain was pulled aside. "Aha! I thought I heard kids' voices in here!" Burke had returned, "Come here, you brats!"

He grabbed for them. Nate leaped up, seized the shower head, and twisted it towards Burke's face. Burke stumbled backwards from the blast of water, sputtering. Kevin dove for his feet and knocked him down, sending him face first into the water-filled tub. "Let's get the others-look out!" he noticed more guards running back in. He dove to the wet floor and hydroplaned under their legs. Nate and Sarah did the same. "The window, over here, quick!" Kevin called to the others, who crawled out from under the beds. He ran to the window and thrust it open, then threw the bug screen aside. To his relief, the wire was indeed within grasp. "Grab on, we're taking a ride," he instructed them.

"Um, Kevin, you know I'm really not that good with heights...," Ethan gulped nervously, unable to look at the steep drop below them.

"Sorry, but it's either us or them, and I don't think you want them," Kevin pointed back towards the guards now charging towards them. They had to go now if they wanted to. In a flash he seized Ethan, hoisted him onto the wire despite his ear-splitting shriek of terror, and pushed him off. "Jump!" he shouted grabbing on and sliding down the line. The drop was vertigo-inducing and seemed to last forever, but finally he touched down on the roof of a much smaller building on the far side of the resort. He jumped out of the way as everyone else landed next to him. "That was great!" Julian had loved the ride, "Let's do it again."

There was a burst of grief from a pale, whimpering Ethan, who was doubled over in terror. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, Ethan, but they were going to hurt us or worse," Kevin put a sympathetic arm around him.

"Let's just get back to the ground and get out of here; I don't want to go to jail," he mumbled, the color starting to return to his face.

"No problem there," Kevin saw the fire escape and ran towards it. In minutes, they'd reached the ground. "Now where?" Sarah asked him.

"Anywhere but here; just keep moving," Kevin saw Las Vegas Boulevard ahead of them. They could get lost in the crowd if the Bad Guys were still nearby. He rushed onto the sidewalk and across the street, away from the angry guards and burglars, but now on their own in a city that, as Sidney had mentioned, wasn't appreciative of children after dark...

* * *

"Come see the show, kids, come see the show," a sleazy-looking man thrust a flyer for a show Kevin suspected was not for kids at them. Kevin jerked away from him. Unsavory-looking people all along Las Vegas Boulevard had been looking at them strangely during their walk up it. Hopefully there could be somewhere family-friendly they could stop at soon...

"I'm getting tired, can't we stop?" Sarah protested.

"Not just yet, we've got to find a safe place," Kevin told her; he could tell she was tiring (they were now up to the Riviera after a long walk away from the Walley World casino), but they couldn't stop now. There seemed to be nothing around them, though, but glittering mega-casinos-and dangerous-looking derelicts all over the sidewalks.

"Where are we going anyway?" Danielle demanded.

"I have an idea, but we've..."

"Hey kid, gimme a dollar," a drunk staggered towards him with his arms extended. Kevin quickly rushed away. "Come on, one dollar, brat!" the drunk bellowed at him. "I don't like it out here," Ethan was looking nervous.

"I don't either, Ethan, and I don't want to go into the casinos; that guy probably called them and told them to be on the lookout for us, if that how they knew we were shopping with the credit card," Kevin rationalized, "And I don't want to risk getting into a cab either..."

"Hello there, sweethearts, all by yourselves?" two unpleasant-looking women, likely in an unsavory profession, leaned towards them. Kevin bolted away again. "Got to be some way to get to the airport safely," he muttered.

"Airport?" Sarah asked him.

"That's the only thing I can think of; at least airport security's less likely to turn us in, and then we'll be safe when our families get here," he explained.

"Well that's all good and well, Kevin, but there's just one big problem: McCarran's the other way," Ethan pointed in the direction they'd come. Kevin groaned in frustration and slumped his head against a lamppost. "Why is it so hard to get back home!?" he shouted out loud.

"Who said we're going home? I'm perfectly fine here," Nate said sharply. Kevin spun to face him. "What are you crazy, Nate!?" he asked incredulously, "What do you think we just went through a while back!? This isn't a vacation anymore; this is dead serious! There are men back there who want to either have us arrested or kill us; how could you possibly want to stay after all that!?"

"I told you, I'm not going back!" Nate shout back at him, "My parents made their decision that their baby means more to them than me, so they can stick it! Let them rot without me; I'm free and I'm happy!"

"Nate, just listen to yourself! You know that's not true at all...!"

"We're free, you idiot, don't you appreciate it!?" Nate barked furiously, "Grown-ups are evil, all of them, and we don't need them! We'll be perfectly fine; we'll just hop a cab to the next city and start over there!"

"Grown-ups are all evil!?" Kevin couldn't believe his ears, "You know, Nate, I think _you're_ half the problem with your family! You're so selfish for attention you treat everyone like...!"

"Don't you dare blame me for my family's crimes!" Nate roared in his face, "Some friend you've been; you've been putting me down at every turn! Well I don't need you; all of you, are you with me, or are you against me!?" he challenged the rest of their group, "Aren't we better off the road living our own lives without grown-ups? Ethan, you know your folks don't care for you when they're too busy fighting with each other; back me up on this!"

But Ethan was shaking his head softly. "Sorry, Nate, but this just got dangerous," he told his friend, "I've had enough; I want to go home."

"Nate, it was fun while it lasted, but it's over," Julian added. He turned to the girls, who nodded in agreement, "All the problems we've had with our families mean nothing when people come at you with guns," he continued, "I want to go..."

"Fine! You want to be against me, be against me! I don't need any of you cowards!" Nate snarled coldly at them all, "Go on back to Chicago and be your parents' slaves! I'm free, and I'm going to enjoy my life of freedom without any adults to put me down! Goodbye!"

He started storming towards a tour bus parked nearby. "Nate, please, you're overreacting here...!" Kevin tried to cut him off.

"Don't you follow me! You betrayed me!" Nate shoved him to the sidewalk. Before Kevin could fully get back up, he'd jumped on board the bus, and it started pulling out. "Nate, wait, come back here!" Kevin shouted, running after the bus, but it had multiple green lights in front of it and soon was well out of range. Kevin roared in frustration and kicked a traffic light. "Selfish idiot!" he shouted out loud. "Now we can't even go to the airport; we've got to find him and talk sense into him!"

"He could be out of the city before we even get close to the bus!" Julian pointed out a major pitfall in trying to find Nate, "Maybe we should just turn ourselves and let the cops know to look for him."

"Let him go; he made his decision, and let him pay for it," Danielle offered.

"No. He may be upset and hostile now, but he is my best friend. We're all leaving here together," Kevin vowed firmly, "If only I knew how..."

He was so lost in thought on what to do now that he didn't hear the squeal of brakes next to them. Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed his arm and yanked him sideways into an RV. He turned and gasped in horror to see himself staring right at the Bad Guys. "Hiya, pal," Harry, in the driver's seat, greeting him coldly, "Didn't want ya to leave without sayin' goodbye-nope, don't even think about escapin'!" he warned Kevin, thrusting a gun at him when he tried to brush past Marv in the passenger seat, "We'll plug all yer pals if ya try!"

Kevin turned to see the Bad Guys' henchmen holding the rest of his friends at gun and knifepoint in the back seat. They'd dropped their guard and had been ambushed, he acknowledged fearfully.

"This isn't all of them," the weasel-faced man holding Ethan at gunpoint was glancing around, "Looks like one of them's missing."

"Yeah, I see. Where's yer other little buddy, pal!?" Harry demanded to Kevin.

"He's not here," Kevin said as bravely as he could, "He ran off..."

"WHERE IS HE, KID!?" Harry demanded, thrusting his gun right between Kevin's eyes.

"I SWEAR HE'S NOT HERE!" Kevin shrieked.

"Hey Harry, you want to move before people get suspicious of all the screaming!?" the long-haired man holding his switchblade to Sarah's throat said with a stern expression.

"Oh, yeah, right, Sammy. We'll find the other one later, after we take care of these ones. Stay put and don't make a sound, pal," Harry tossed Kevin roughly to the passenger side floor, where Marv planted a hard foot on his back to hold him still, "We're goin' for a little ride, all of us."


	13. Alone in the Desert

"It sure was nice of all ya kids to walk right into our clutches," Harry continued practically crowing, driving south on the Strip, Kevin could surmise, "We was gonna go up and down the Strip all night till we found ya, but ya made it nice and easy for us."

"And that's apparently the only easy thing you guys ever got done in your whole life," Julian remained somewhat defiant despite the gun the big hulking henchman was holding to his head, "Kevin's told us all about you, and how dumb you guys are."

"We ain't dumb, kid. Nobody understands us," Marv shot back at him.

"Well, if you're only misunderstood, why'd you walk into trap after trap after trap each time you met up with him before?" Julian pressed him hard.

"Watch the mouth, kid; I've shot people for saying far less," Lenny warned him, pressing the gun tighter against Julian's temple.

"No problem, Lenny," Marv reassured him. "You see, kid," he turned around in the seat to look Julian right in the eye, "Harry and me, we get knocked down, we get right back up. And now that we have a whole lot more friends to help us," he gestured at the rest of the Wet Bandits Gang in the back of the RV, "we're in better shape than ever. And we'll really be up and running tomorrow night after we knock over the Walley World casino. Close to a billion dollars in the vault, just for us, and we're..."

"MARV!" Harry whacked his partner on the shoulder hard, "If ya blab out the plan again, I'm gonna rip yer vocal chords out!"

"But Harry, there's no way he can find any house full of goodies to nail us with this time," Marv protested, "And we're gonna kill him anyway, so..."

"Hold that thought; here we are. Bring him," Harry gestured at Kevin, whom Marv dragged roughly out of the RV. Kevin saw they were now at the back of the Walley World hotel complex, by the rear loading docks, and Burke was standing on the central dock with Les and a pack of security guards. "Let me just say, gentlemen, that I'm against all of you coming back here after that stunt you pulled during the Splat Zone taping with the gun firing and all that," the Walley Entertainment chairman of the board told him sternly, "You almost exposed everything then, and you're running the risk of exposing everything now..."

"Then we'll make it quick; just give us the details of the plan, and we'll be on our way to kill all these kids. Bring 'em," Harry called to his fellow gang members, who hauled the rest of Kevin's friends out of the RV.

"Please, Mr. Lyme, I guess you said it was; no killing kids around here," Les gulped, looking pale, "Robbing the vault's one thing, but killing children...!"

"Ya don't understand, pal; Marv and me's waited two whole years to settle the score with this little creep," Harry glared down at Kevin, "And we're offin' him no matter what no one says."

"All right, all right," Burke waved his arms, "Where did you pick them up at?"

"Right on the street; they practically walked right into our hands," Marv bragged.

"Then there were probably witnesses. Les, arrange a resort limousine for Mr. Lyme so he can take care of business with this kid," Burke instructed his lieutenant, "Use that and drive as far out into the desert as you can; the last thing we need are dead kids around here right before the operation."

Les nodded and reentered the building. "There's one missing," Stone had also noticed Nate wasn't among the children.

"The other one wasn't there when we found them. We'll find him yet. What should we do with the rest of them?" Fingers asked, holding a squirming Ethan tight.

"We can handle them here until the operation's done. Mr. Stone, gentlemen, take these other kids and lock them up in the detention wing until further notice," Burke ordered the security chief and his men, "They'll be safely out of sight and earshot there until we're all done."

"You can't hold me!" Danielle protested furiously, straining to break away from Lenny's grip, "I'm the daughter of Charles Lindhurst; he's one of the wealthiest men in all of Chicago, and...!"

"Oh, _that_ Charles Lindhurst? Well, looks like we lucked out even better, boys," Harry grinned at his gang, "Not only do we get the millions in the casino vault, we'll also get a nice, fat ransom from daddy once he knows we got his girl. What's his number, toots?" he approached Danielle.

"I, I don't know," her defiance had quickly turned to fear at the mention of being ransomed.

"Don't mess with me, missy," he grabbed her hair and yanked it back hard, "What's Daddy's phone number!?"

"He's not at home; he's on business in the Orient!" she was definitely terrified now.

"Which hotel!? I said, which hotel!?" he pulled her hair harder. Danielle cried out in pain. "All right, he's staying at the Orchard Paradise Hotel, but I don't want to be ransomed...!" she pleaded.

"Too bad. Fingers, call the hotel when you get the chance; tell Daddy Lindhurst eighty mil by Christmas Day night or else," Harry instructed the safecracker, "We'll call back later to tell him where and how to wire it to us."

"How do we give her back if we're in out of the country, Harry?" Fingers asked him with raised eyebrows.

"We ain't givin' her back, Fingers, use yer head. We chop her up and mail the pieces back to Daddy as a Christmas present," Harry rolled his eyes, "Just 'cause we ain't killin' the rest of them now don't mean we ain't gonna..."

"All right, just get them inside and get them safely locked up, Mr. Stone," Burke interrupted. Glaring coldly, Stone strode down off the loading dock with his men and grabbed Danielle himself. "Please don't lock me up and ransom me!" she begged in terror, "Kevin, do something, please, help me!" she cried out at him.

"I'll try, Danielle," was all he could say at the moment, although he was impressed that she was finally calling him by his first name, even if while under duress. "Just stay calm, guys, I'll think of something," he tried to offer comfort to the other children as the guards dragged them into the back of the hotel.

"That's kind of hard at the moment, Kevin, in case you didn't notice! Let go of us, you animal!" Ethan still had fight, as he kicked at his captor for all it was worth. But soon, he and the others had disappeared out of sight inside the hotel, leaving Kevin alone. "Look, it's me you want; tell them to let them go," he demanded to the Wet Bandits.

"Forget it, kid; anybody who's friends with you deserves to be slaughtered," Harry glared harder at him. "OK, so whatdya want us to do tomorrow?" he asked Burke.

"I'd really prefer not to say anything in front of a potential witness," Burke frowned Kevin down.

"Don't worry; he's gonna be dead in no more than a half hour anyway," Marv assured him. Burke sighed softly. "All right, but you'd better be efficient in finishing him off," he warned the criminals, "OK, Roy Walley himself told me earlier today on the phone that he'll be arriving tomorrow at the airport tomorrow night at six for the Jorinde and Joringal premiere. We'll dispatch all the guards here still loyal to him to the airport to meet him, and enough of them that are loyal to me to keep him there until we're done. Now..."

It occurred to Kevin it would probably be helpful to get the conversation on tape. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching him before reaching into his pocket, where he'd slipped his Talkboy after the shower stunt, and hit the Record button as quietly as he could. He turned his body ever so slightly so the tape recorder was facing Burke, who continued, "...about three miles south of here is the old Cactus Motel; it closed down six months ago, but the furniture's all still in place, and the utilities are still connected. I want you gentlemen there at quarter to six to call in a bomb threat to this hotel. That will clear it out of any guests or potential interlopers. Then find someplace between here and there and wait about an hour until the bomb squad sweeps the resort clean. I'll have a guard stationed on the roof; when he sets off a single blast of fireworks, that's your cue to come in. We'll tell any authorities still on the scene it was probably a malfunction."

"And then what?" Marv asked eagerly.

"I'm getting to it. We'll tell the authorities we'd like to do a check of our own as a follow up to their sweep and position guards at all the entrances so they can't get in. You gentlemen come up to the loading dock here; somebody'll let you in. Once you've cracked the vault and taken the money, Martin Walley's room is Number 1266. Plant some of the money and burglary tools in there before you leave, but don't do it so obviously that they'll suspect anything. We'll have a van waiting for you back here by the time you're done, and passports to South America; it looks like the best we could get on short notice was ones to Argentina. But don't leave out of McCarran; they'll be watching there like a hawk. I'd recommend driving down to Phoenix and flying out from there."

"I'd like a closer look at the safe so I can get a better idea of what I need to drill and blow it," Fingers told him.

"Very well, this way then," Burke gestured him inside, right as there came the honking of the horn of a limo pulling up to the loading dock. "Ah, here's our ride, Marv. OK, you guys go take a look at the safe," Harry told the rest of his gang, " Marv and I'll take care of our unfinished business. Let's go, little buddy," he dragged Kevin towards the limo, "Time to go for the last ride."

* * *

"This isn't normal plane travel, is it, Kate?" Mrs. Ostrowski leaned over the seat towards her. The plane was shaking hard from rougher than usual turbulence.

"It's probably just a rogue pocket," Kate dismissed it despite the wild shaking, "Are you all right? You look upset?"

"I just had a feeling, Kate," Mrs. Ostrowski indeed looked pale, and not just from the turbulence, "I just have this terrible feeling something bad's already happened to Nate..."

"You have a feeling? That's not good," Kate mused softly, "But we'll be through this and on the ground in Las Vegas in no time flat, and he'll be safely in your arms..."

But it was at this point the intercom buzzed to life. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," came the pilot's voice, "We've just been informed by air traffic control in Denver that the turbulence we're currently experiencing are the front line of a large scale snowstorm over the Rockies. They have advised not trying to go through it, so at this time we request you all fasten your seatbelts while we descend to Denver International Airport, where we'll wait until the storm passes, which by the best estimates will be within the next eight hours..."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Kate threw off her seatbelt, stormed to the cockpit door, and started pounding hard on it, "YOU'RE NOT LANDING THIS PLANE ANYWHERE EXCEPT LAS VEGAS! I DEMAND WE KEEP GOING!"

"Kate, honey, this is for our safety..." Peter rushed up and tried to pull her away from the door.

I don't care for our safety, Peter, I care for Kevin!" she shot at him, "I said keep going; this is nothing!" she shouted at the pilots through the cockpit door, "We can take this easy...!"

It was at this point a particularly severe bout of turbulence struck the plane, sending both McCallisters rolling wildly around the aisle. Peter grabbed his wife's wrist and stumbled back to their seats-and was sent toppling face-first onto the seats from another bump. "Kate, you're starting to scare me," he confided worriedly in her, handing her the buckle to her seatbelt.

"I'm just fine, I just want to get to my son. Don't you!?" she gave him a piercing glare.

"Of course I do, Kate, more than anything, but not if it means putting us and the rest of the kids in harm's way. Now this'll only be for a couple of hours; we'll still be in Las Vegas tomorrow morning."

"But then the plane'll break down on the runway before we take off, or a mad bomber gets on board and diverts us somewhere else...!" she mumbled.

"That's not going to happen, Kate, and you know it. Now come, this isn't the end of the world-I don't like that we're having another delay, but we're no good for Kevin if we crash and die in the Rockies. Okay?" Peter pressed her hard. Kate exhaled softly. "You're right," she muttered, slumping back in the seat, "Sorry if I get worked up, it's just..."

"You're just worried for your children's safety, just like any mother worth their salt would be," he patted her hand, then grabbed hold of it as their descent to Denver started, "And worked up over everything that's happened the last couple of years. But Kevin's just fine right now, trust me."

* * *

"How much further, Harry?" came Marv's voice from the front of the limousine.

"Looks like we're a good fifteen miles outta the city now; next exit should take up deep enough into the desert-and here we go right here," Harry declared. Underneath a blanket in the limo's back seat with his hands and feet tied, Kevin gulped nervously. It was probably now or never to start attempting to get out of this mess with his life.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed his arms downward, trying to get his hands underneath his rear end. He could escape much easily, he felt, if he could work directly on his hands. As he felt the limo swerving down an exit ramp off the interstate, he succeeded in this initial step. He quickly scrunched his legs up and maneuvered his hands under his feet, then upwards till they were right in front of his face. Now came the trickier part, and he'd have to work fast...

He started chewing hard on the ropes, hoping the Bad Guys would stay on whatever road they were on now a little longer. "Boy, it's gonna be great to finally off this kid," Marv crowed happily in the front seat, "And takin' out most of his friends makes it even better."

"And we get a multi-million dollar ransom off the rich one too, so it's a double bonus," Harry snickered, "Sorry if I got a little curt with ya, Marv, about blabbin' the plan. Yer right; he ain't gonna spill nothin' in a grave."

He let out a low grunt. "I'll tell ya, Marv, kids are the scum of the earth," he muttered, "We're all better off without 'em. My old man told me that before I ran away from home, and now I can see he was right."

"Was that before or after he hacked your old lady to pieces with the ax, Harry?" Marv inquired, making Kevin shiver at the thought of the terrible crime.

"After, Marv; I ran away right after he offed her. Heard they gave him lethal injection for it years later; served the old brute right, kickin' me around from dawn to dusk."

"Well, at least ya had a dad to beat ya up, Harry; wish I'd known who mine was before they dumped me in the orphanage when I was two," Marv sounded almost regretful.

"Ah, yer better off, Marv; parents are rubbish too. Family's overrated; it's money that's important in this world, and tomorrow, we're gonna be swimmin' in it."

With a low snap, Kevin's wrists broke free with one final bite. He released his feet, then grabbed the Talkboy, held it up, and hit Record again. Part of him did feel slightly sorry for the burglars now, hearing how bad they'd had it as children, but that was countered by his disgust at their continued heartless greed and contempt for children. He angled the Talkboy towards where Marv was now saying, "Hope they're good enough to keep us safe while we empty the vault, Harry."

"I think we can trust 'em, Marv; this Burke guy's clearly bent on takin' Roy Walley down. And to be honest, I'm all for it; Walley represents everything about family in this country, so nailin' him'll show everyone how overrated the trash is. Now my concern's gettin' outta Vegas without looking suspicious, but once we are out, we're probably home free. We'll probably slaughter the little creep's friends somewhere in the desert outside of town the other way; no point leavin' 'em close to him. Then we just use Burke's fake passports to Buenos Aires, pick up Lindhurst's ransom, and live like kings for the rest of our days. Here, this looks like a good place to turn off."

Kevin felt the road get bumpy underneath him. They were heading off road, he knew, meaning they were probably getting close to an isolated place to kill him. He lifted up the blanket and glanced worriedly around the back of the limousine for anything to fight back with. A fire extinguisher in the corner gave him an idea. He slowly reached out from under the blanket and grabbed it. Pulling it inside, he chewed through the protective tie just as the limo lurched to a stop and Harry declared, "Yep, this looks nice and isolated. Let's do it, Marv."

"Let me shoot once you've done it, Harry; please let me shoot him too!" Marv begged his partner. Kevin heard the limo's front doors opening. He rolled on his back, one hand on the extinguisher's pin and the other on the nozzle. _"Just don't miss, McCallister,"_ he told himself, knowing he probably only had one chance at this...assuming they didn't just shoot him without taking the blanket off...

He took a deep breath when he heard the back door opening in front of him. "OK kid, time to say your prayers. This is officially the end of the road for ya," Harry snickered. The blanket was pulled off Kevin. In a flash, he pulled the fire extinguisher's pin, aimed at Harry's face, and squeezed the nozzle, blasting Harry full tilt in the face with extinguisher fluid. "DOOOOOOOOOOH, RATCHA FRATCHA SHOOP PERT RIGGA RAGGA...!" Harry bellowed, dropping his gun and stumbling around blindly. Kevin spun towards Marv, who was watching his partner's predicament with a dumbfounded expression, and gave him a blast of extinguisher fluid to the face as well. Howling, Marv dropped his crowbar and stumbled away from the limo door. Kevin grabbed his items and took off running as fast as he could. "He's gettin' away, Harry!" Marv shouted from behind him.

"Gee, ya think!? Don't just stand..." Harry was cut off by the thump of the two of them staggering into each other. They toppled to the ground in a heap. Harry furiously wiped the fluid off his face. "Get up!" he hauled the still blinded Marv to his feet, "He ain't gettin' away from us this time!"

Ahead, Kevin breathed heavily, glancing in all directions. He couldn't make out the road at all; just dark desert as far as the eye could see. He needed a hiding place-a point make clear when another shot rang out behind him. He hit the deck until it zinged by overhead, then took off running to his left. Hopefully there would be a cave or something nearby he could take cover in...

...when suddenly, the ground almost disappeared between him. Kevin swayed to a stop, finding himself having run to the edge of a steep cliff, but proved unable and toppled over the edge...

...but saw a vine hanging underneath the ledge and grabbed hold of it just in time. It groaned but held his weight. Kevin sucked in a breath as the Bad Guys could be heard approaching the edge of the cliff above him. "Where are ya, you...whoa, watch it, Marv!" Harry caught his partner seconds before he went over the edge.

"Wow, what a drop," Marv commented, "I think he committed suicide, Harry; he chose the easy way out rather than face us like a man."

"I don't know, Marv..."

"Well of course he did; look, his tracks end right here."

"Don't see nothin' down there, Marv. I want his body to make sure he's dead."

"Hey, it's a big drop; no way he survived it," Marv assured his partner, "And even if he did, he's alone in the desert fifteen miles from Vegas or any civilization. Nobody's comin' to help him, no way he gets back to the road, and there's loads of rattlers and coyotes out here who'd love to have him for a midnight snack."

"Yeah, good point. Even if he ain't dead, he will be soon," Harry snickered, "Eat that, little buddy!" he shouted down to the canyon floor below, "Well, our work's essentially done, Marv. Let's go back to our luxury hotel room and enjoy the night on the town."

"I want to see a show, Harry; fork over some money," Marv asked them as Kevin heard them starting to walk away.

"Forget it Marv, no shows; I don't want the plan shot over you and some broads."

"Please, Harry, just one topless show; ya only live once, and Vegas..." Marv's words faded as he left earshot. Kevin remained motionless on his vine until he heard the Bad Guys' limo start and drive away. Once all was quiet, he heaved himself back up onto solid ground and stared around at the endless desert around him. He was all alone, far from civilization, his worst fate yet. And if he couldn't get help soon, he knew his nemeses were right; he was probably as good as dead...


	14. Kevin's Nadir

"Finally, Las Vegas," Kate all but groaned, staggering out the gangway into McCarran. The "eight hour layover" in Denver had ended up lasting a good sixteen; a glance at her watch showed it was now two thirty local time. "All right, is everyone here?" she turned back to the rest of her family trickling off the plane; the last thing she wanted was to lose anyone one else now at the critical moment.

"Yeah, but I'll reiterate that I don't want to be," Buzz grumbled at the rear of the pack.

"OH SHUT UP!" all the rest of the McCallisters shouted at him.

"Where do you think we go from here, Kate?" Mrs. Tafton leaned over her shoulder.

"Well, Rachel, we know they were on TV at the Walley resort, so that's the best place to look first," Kate reasoned, "So let's get some cabs and be there in ten minutes-hopefully with no more delays."

"Not with him," Mrs. Rhodes pointed coldly at her husband, "We should have left him behind."

"Damn you, Janice, I've had it with this!" Mr. Rhodes roared back in her face, "You think you're the only worth helping Ethan...!?"

"Well you've hardly proven yourself worth it!"

"Well neither have you, for the record, you...!"

"Stop, OK, just stop!" Peter stepped between them, "I asked you before, leave your personal problems at the door here! Right now your son needs both of you, so act like adults and both be there for him!"

"You don't understand our personal problems...!" Mrs. Rhodes muttered under her breath.

"Are we going to have trouble now, Janice!?" Kate glared at her, prompting Mrs. Rhodes to silence. "Good. All right, let's get going," she started for the escalator as fast as she could go.

"And not that I'm complaining, Kate," Peter had to rush to keep up with her, "But given how stressed out you are, maybe I should do the talking at the hotel."

* * *

"Excuse me, sir," it was in fact he who approached the Walley World Resort's front desk about fifteen minutes later and waved at Les, "We'd like to have a word with you if we could."

"Ah, yes, good afternoon," Les greeted him, staring with wonder at everyone behind Peter, "Do you folks want to check in?"

"Maybe if we have to. It's about our son; he and some of his classmates were on Splat Zone last night here, and we want to see if they're still here," Peter explained. Les's expression froze. "Ch-Children?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, six in all. Here's our son's picture," Peter slid a photo of Kevin from his wallet across the counter into Les's hands. "Oh...oh...uh...I see," Les started sweating, "Well, um...are these the other parents?" he gestured at everyone behind the McCallisters.

"Yes, now are our kids here or not!?" Mr. Clark pressed him firmly.

"Um...well...uh...let me, um, make a call or two here," Les abruptly rushed into the back room behind the counter. Kate frowned after him suspiciously. "Something's not right," she whispered to her husband, "There's something about him..."

But Les came rushing right back out right away. "Don't need to make a call, just remembered...um, everyone, there's good news and bad news," he stammered nervously, "The, uh, good news is, um, yes, they were here-your kids, that is-but the bad news is, they're not right now..."

"Well where are they!?" Mrs. Ostrowski demanded, looking quite worried.

"We, um, don't know, we, uh, found they were misusing a credit card all over the Strip, and when we, um tried to talk to them about it, they sort of, uh..."

"Did you scare them off!?" Peter shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk and making Les jump, "I'm getting very tired of you hotel people jumping down my son's throat over every...!"

"Sir, please, it wasn't my fault, really, they...!" Les froze up again, his face now going pale. For the Wet Bandits were coming in the door. "Hey yo there," Harry called out to him, "Just wancha to know, it's all taken care off; he's nice and..."

"Um, sorry, gentlemen, but now's not the time for that," Les said quickly, gesturing nervously with his thumb at the parents, although Harry frowned in confusion at this. "Right. Well, anyway, me and the boys're ready for the job, so we'll go get set; tell the boss everything's A-OK at the moment," he continued.

"Fine, good. Now, I really have something to take care of at the moment, gentlemen," Les waved them off. Frowning at each other, the burglars nonetheless turned to leave. "Um, just some outside contractors of ours; they're working on some special projects for us in regards to tonight's big film premiere here," he told the McCallisters quickly, "Now, is there anything I can do for you to help you find your son then, Mr. McCallister...?"

The Wet Bandits, who were almost out the door, stopped dead in their tracks. "MCCALLISTER!?" they exclaimed simultaneously. Their heads shot back around towards the front desk. Harry broke into a loud laugh. "It's perfect!" he exclaimed, mirth spreading on his face, "This is the best thing we coulda asked for right now!"

"Yeah," Marv nodded in agreement. Then he frowned. "What is, Harry?"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry threw up his hands in disgust at his partner's thickness. "Go out and tell the gang to get their guns ready to use in a minute; I'll bring 'em all out for us. Go, go," he waved Marv out the door, then strode up to the large party at the front desk. "'Scuse me," he spoke up, "Are you the McCallisters?"

"Uh, yes," Peter turned towards him.

"The McCallister family that lives at 671 Lincoln Boulevard, Shermer, Illinois?"

"Yes, that's us. Who're you, and how do you know where...?"

"Oh, I got my sources," Harry grinned; he recognized Mr. and Mrs. McCallister now from when he'd been face to face with them inside their house two years ago. "I'm Officer Lyme, Las Vegas P.D. undercover. We got the missing report for your son, and, well, we know where and his homies...I mean, the other kids are."

"You do!? Wonderful, where are they!?" Kate pressed him hard.

"Just follow me, and we'll explain everything for all of ya," Harry gestured towards the door, "Go on, all of you outside, and you'll get your answers."

The McCallisters and the other families rushed for the door. Harry stepped into place behind them all and drew his gun when he was sure they weren't watching him. Loud screams rang out the moment everyone stepped through to the outside, where Harry saw the rest of his gang (except for Marv, who was waving his crowbar around wildly, to Harry's disgust) training their guns on the large group. Harry stepped out himself. "OK, anybody named McCallister who makes one move from here on gets filled fulla lead!" he bellowed, waving his gun around at everyone. This prompted another ear-splitting scream from Aunt Leslie-followed by a low thump as Uncle Frank fainted dead away. "Pick him up!" Harry ordered her, "All right, everybody in the RV now!" he gestured towards it, parked nearby.

"What's going on here!?" Peter demanded furiously, "You said you knew where my son was...!"

"Yeah, I do, and yer all gonna be joining him soon! I said inside, all of ya!" Harry bellowed. He joined the rest of his gang in herder their new prisoners into the RV. "Good, now we're goin' fer a..." he started to climb inside himself, but had to stop; they'd packed so many people into the RV that there was no room for they themselves to get in. "Um..." he scanned around for a way to get in, "Uh, Lenny, use that," he told the gang's enforcer, pointing to a metal pole that a red velvet rope for the evening's film premiere was hooked onto nearby and gesturing at the passenger side window. Rolling his eyes, Lenny nonetheless picked the pole up and drove it through the window. "Good. You guard the front door; Fingers, Sammy, hold onto the back and make sure they don't escape that way," he instructed them, climbing through the broken window.

"You know how conspicuous this is, Harry?" Sam complained furiously, "I know what you're thinking, but there's no way we don't get pulled over if we're looking like...!"

"Not if we go a hundred the whole way. Now get into place!" Harry brushed him off despite the frustrated groans of the newest gang members. "Here, watch 'em, Marv," he handed Marv his gun once his longtime partner had squeezed into the passenger seat. He started the engine and peeled out into traffic as fast as he could despite the cries and shouts of the rest of the gang, fighting hard to hold on tight to the side and back doors. "You'll never get away with this, whatever you're doing!" Mr. Clark threatened from somewhere in the back of the crowd behind them.

"Oh yes we will, now that we got youse people with us," Marv taunted him back, waving the gun around, "And anybody who tries to escape don't get to go home alive-unless ya all don't go home alive."

"If you know where our children are, I demand you take them to them now!" Kate bellowed at the top of her lungs.

"Oh, you'll be with him again soon, Mrs. McCallister," Marv told her cockily, then turned to Harry and chuckled under his breath, "In Heaven, that is..."

* * *

Kevin at that moment was on his last bit of strength. He'd been walking all night without rest, but there was still nothing but seemingly endless desert as far as he could see. Exhaustion now completely overwhelmed him, as did hunger and thirst. He'd heard wolf or coyote howls all night, and had been surprised they hadn't come and taken him. Part of him now almost wished they would...

Another, more ethereal, howl made him glance up. The wind was picking up hard, and a dust storm could be seen approaching in the distance fast. Kevin didn't care anymore. There was no point in trying to avoid it. Hardly any point in anything, he thought miserably...

With an anguished sigh, he collapsed onto his chest, too tired to go another step. Seemingly seconds later, the dust storm engulfed him. Kevin sobbed into the sand, wishing the nightmare would just end somehow. _"I'm sorry, guys,"_ he mentally thought towards his friends, wherever and in whatever condition they were now, _"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe. And I'm sorry I put you guys through this, Mom, Dad,"_ he thought tearfully for his family, _"Please forgive me. I'll never ask for any present ever again as long as I live if I just get out of this alive with everyone and back home safe to Chicago. Please God, give me one more Christmas miracle if you can...!" _


	15. Desperate Times Call for

But then, something reached his ears. "Hey kid!" he thought he heard a voice calling out in the distance. "_No, it's just my_ _imagination_," he thought to himself, _"I'm hallucinating..." _

"Kevin!" came the call again. Kevin raised his head. Through the swirling sand and dust, there seemed to be a large mass moving towards him. "Who...?" he managed to say weakly.

"Are you there!?" the voice rang out again. Kevin's heart leaped: Sidney! But how? Oh well, he thought, it didn't really matter that much...

"Over here," he called out as loudly as he could manage, then mumbled to himself, "Wow, that was a fast miracle." Sidney's hands scooped him up. "I was hoping I'd find you somewhere out here," the bellboy breathed in relief, "Come on, let's get you back to the city."

"You've been looking for me?" Kevin was amazed, "How did you find me out here...?"

"Well, let's call it a Christmas miracle," Sidney carried him towards the desert road that was just over the nearest hill, where his Jeep Cherokee was parked, "I was just driving down the road and thought I saw you stumbling along there..."

"No, how'd you know I was out here?"

"I was having breakfast at Starbucks, and your two pals that gave you the run for your life came in, laughing to themselves about how good it was to have dumped you out in the desert to die. No more kids were going to die on my watch," Sidney opened the passenger door to the Cherokee with his foot and deposited Kevin inside, "We'll take you back and get some food into you-after we make sure your friends are safe..."

"They're not; Nate ran away into the city, and Burke's got the rest of them locked up back at the hotel!" Kevin told him breathlessly, "He hired the Bad Guys to rob the vault tonight and frame Martin Walley for it to get the company! We've got to get back there in time; what time is it!?"

"What time, if they said so?"

"Six," Kevin related to him everything he'd heard Burke tell the burglars last night about how to carry out his plan. Sidney glanced at his watch once Kevin had finished. "We don't have much time," he declared, climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car, "We'll see if we can find a phone and get through to the cops."

"But the cops might not help if Burke and his cronies turned us in as credit card thieves, as I think they might have," Kevin realized, "It might be all in my hands again to stop this..."

"Well, yeah, that's the problem," Sidney jammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, "They did turn you in, right before they fired me for interfering with them trying to arrest you and the others."

"Oh no. I'm sorry..." Kevin mumbled, feeling guilty.

"Don't worry; if we can stop what you say is imminent, I think I'll be right back in my old job," the bellboy absolved him, "And they didn't take my code key, so we could get in to help your friends. But I think we'd better find your pal Nate first if he ran off. What happened that drove him to it?"

"We had a big fight over going home. We've all had enough, but he kept holding on to his rage against his parents for having their baby," Kevin sighed, "I'm worried what might have happened to him since then; Vegas is no place for angry kids after dark. And I have no idea where he went after he jumped on the bus and left us."

"Well we'll find him before the cops do. I swear nothing's going to happen to him," Sidney said with grim determination on his face. "You really don't like seeing kids in any trouble, do you?" Kevin asked him, "You said you didn't want to see any more kids die...?"

"No, I can't stand seeing any of them hurt, especially not since..." Sidney stopped in mid-sentence, pain crushing his face. "Did something happen?" the boy pressed.

"Well, I might as well tell you," Sidney took a deep, uncomfortable breath, "I once had a family, the best little family you could have asked for. Two kids, Jennifer and Christopher; the nicest kids you could have ever known. They meant everything to me. And then..."

He slumped his head against the dashboard, "They wanted to go to the movies; my wife went along, but I turned it down; the roof needed fixing. While they were there, the theater caught fire. They tried to get out, but..."

He started sniffing. "I should have been there; I could have saved them, or at least gone out with them...you don't know how it feels to be the only one left, knowing you can never move on..." he stopped the car, crying too hard now to keep driving, "When I was hired for the resort, I started attaching myself to families. Most of them shooed me away, but I couldn't stop. I wanted to feel like a father again, and not the failure I am now. There was something about you and your friends that made me latch on to you like I did; you all reminded me of my kids. I just couldn't help feel for all of you..."

"Hey," Kevin patted him on the arm, "What happened wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. And if you were the best possible father for your kids, you weren't a failure. If you were a failure, you wouldn't have come out here to find me. Bad things happen, I know, but if we keep holding on to them, how can we find any good in the world?"

"I guess...I don't know," Sidney lamented.

"Trust me, wherever they are now, your kids are still proud of you, especially after what you've done for me now," Kevin assured him, "They wouldn't blame you for what happened. And if we can make everything right, they'll be even prouder."

"Yeah. There won't be an unhappy ending here," Sidney wiped his eyes and stepped on the accelerator again, "Like I said, no kids are going to suffer on my watch tonight. These guys won't get away with this."

* * *

"You won't get away with this, whoever you are!" Mr. Rhodes threatened the Wet Bandits Gang, who now had he and the rest of his group tied to chairs inside the Cactus Motel's former office.

"Guess what, we just did," Marv snickered at him, then followed that up with a crowbar blow to the man's chest, "Now once we finish off yer kids, you'll all die too."

"Just leave my daughter out of whatever you're planning!" Mrs. Tafton begged him desperately, "Take me if you want, but let her live!"

"Sorry, toots; since she had to get involved with their little brat," Harry gestured contemptuously at the McCallisters, "She gotta die too."

"If you've harmed one hair on my son's head, you're a dead man...!" Kate started to threaten him.

"SHUT IT, MCCALLISTER!" Harry bellowed, thrusting his gun straight in her face, "We were gonna kill all of ya after tonight's job, but maybe we'll take ya first! And for your info, yer little creep deserves to be harmed after everything he's done to Marv and me the last couple years! I don't know why ya even care for him at all after what he pulled on us!"

"I wonder why they care so much every day too..." Buzz muttered in disgust.

"Can it, Buzz!" his father shot at him. Turning back to Harry, he said, "Look, I don't know what Kevin's done to you, but I'm sure we can discuss this like civilized human beings."

"We're way past civil now, bub," Harry told him sternly, "Now we're at total annihilation stage, meanin' everybody connected with yer little spitfire has to be destroyed."

"Well what is your problem with Kevin, then!?" Peter demanded.

"I'm so glad ya asked. Well, Mr. McCallister," Harry leaned right into his face, "Two years ago, Marv and me watched ya all goin' off to Paris, 'cause we knew yer house was loaded with top flight goods: jewels, cash, everything. But when we tried to get it, the little creep was waitin' for us. He committed felonious assault against us over and over again to try and stop us."

"That's ridiculous," Kate scoffed, "That's not the Kevin we know..."

"Oh really!? Well, lady, whatdya think of THIS!?" Harry pulled off his glove and thrust his palm, which still had the imprint of the McCallisters' doorknob on it, into her face. "He superheated the front doorknob and gave me this permanent tattoo," he growled at her, "And believe me, that was no picnic at all. And look at this," he pulled back his lip and thrust his mouth in front of her face, despite her revulsion, "There used to be a beautiful gold tooth in here, before he had the gall to knock it out with a paint can!"

"Gold tooth...honey, that must have been what I found on the floor after we got back home from Paris," Peter realized.

"Give it back now, and maybe I'll kill ya less painfully than the others," Harry offered him.

"I threw it out," Peter snapped at him, "And if this is true that you tried to rob our house while we were gone..."

"It is true, Peter," Kate's own expression was darkening too. "I know you now. You were the cop that came by when I was sending him to the attic," she snarled at Harry, "You lied to me; you were just casing our house to see what..."

"Yeah, yeah, yer breakin' my heart," Harry brushed her off just as coldly. "And then," he continued, "Last year, Marv and I break outta jail and head to New York, ready to start fresh after one last score at Duncan's Toy Chest. But the little creep interfered and put us through the wringer again."

"Well, all I can say is you two derelicts probably deserved every last bit of it if it's true," Uncle Frank grumbled at them.

"What was that!?" Harry grabbed him by the collar, "Yeah, pal, I REALLY deserved to be catapulted onto a car, hit in the head with a shower of tools, blown up by a gas-filled toilet, slammed into the wall by a tool chest, and dropped off a four story building!"

"Well you're not really giving yourself any..."

"Frank, for the love of God, shut up!" Aunt Leslie frantically gave him a kick in the shin. "He's just worked up," she begged to Harry, "We don't...!"

"Save it, lady," Harry told her off, "Beggin' ain't gonna save anyone in this room. Yer all gonna die and die gruesomely, just the way he tried to kill Marv and me. That's the way it was meant to be this year for everybody named McCallister."

"McCallister? I'm not a McCallister. My name's Schultenbrantz, yes, Franklin R. Schultenbrantz," Uncle Frank rambled in a panic, "This people shanghaied me here against my will; I'd be willing to join up with you gentlemen if you'll just agree not to kill me..."

"Listen to that, boys, we've got a comedian here," Harry snickered at his gang, who laughed hard. Tell ya what, pal, here's the deal," he grabbed Uncle Frank by the throat, "When we get back, we'll kill ya first so you don't got to worry about yer identity crisis no more."

"Thanks for nothing," Uncle Frank gasped in resignation. Harry released his grip just as the phone rang. "Get it, Fingers," he told the safecracker before walking away to have a conference with the rest of his goons. Kate turned to Peter with a confused expression. "Could Kevin really have done what they said?" she asked him, concerned.

"I'm starting to wonder, Kate," Peter frowned at their captors, "I'm thinking they wouldn't be this worked up if it wasn't at least partially true. And like I said, I did find that gold tooth. I think we just walked into one heck of a grudge match here."

"I just hope Kevin's all right at the moment," she mumbled, fear spreading on her face.

"Sorry, he ain't," Marv snickered in her face, "We threw him off a cliff in the desert last night; even if he survived the fall, there's no way he survived the night out there."

"What!?" she went deathly pale.

"He's lying, Kate," Peter cut in quickly, trying to look calm at this distressing news, "He's just trying to get us riled up. Even if Kevin is out there, he's perfectly all right..."

"Hey Harry, it's Burke on the other end," Fingers called from the phone, "Change of plans; we're moving in earlier. Roy Walley called him; he's coming in on an earlier plane. We're moving in at five now."

"Wish he'd give us notice further out," Harry muttered, glancing at his watch, "All right, tell him we'll be there A.S.P.C.A. And have him send a spare guard or two down to keep an eye on these people till we get back. We gotta..."

There came an agonized cry from Mrs. Ostrowski, who thrashed about in her chair. "Lisa, what's wrong!?" her husband maneuvered his chair closer to hers, "Is it coming out...!?"

"I think it's getting close, Mitch!" she gritted her teeth in pain.

"Look, my wife's very pregnant; let her go to have the baby!" Mr. Ostrowski pleaded the burglars, "You can kill me, but let her and the baby live!"

"Sorry, pal, but everyone in this room dies for their connection to the McCallisters' kid, and I mean everybody!" Harry glared coldly at him, "And if you think I give a damn about some baby, yer an idiot; this world's better off with less kids in it."

"How can you be that heartless!?" Mrs. Ostrowski was appalled at him, "You'd let an unborn baby die...!"

"Heartless!? Ya don't know what heartless is!" Harry bellowed at her, "Heartless is my old man beatin' me from dawn till dusk, tellin' me I was worthless! Heartless is livin' in the worst neighborhood imaginable, dirt poor! Heartless is what their kid," he jerked a finger at the McCallisters, "did to Marv and me for just tryin' to make bucks the American way! So don't ya say anything I do is heartless! Because the world itself is heartless, sweetheart; money's the only think that matters to get ya respect! It's a screw them before they screw ya world, and I ain't gonna get screwed no more! So no, I don't care if yer stinkin' baby dies tonight; I don't care who all dies tonight!"

He slapped her hard across the face to emphasize his opinion. "But I'll give ya some relief; I'll kid ya and yer kid last when we get back with our dough," he told her, calmer now. "Marv, call in the threat," he told his partner, "Let's get this show on the road."

Marv took a piece of paper off Fingers, glanced hard at it, then dialed the phone number on it. "Hello, Walley World Resort?" he said in an almost laughably bad fake Germanic accent, "Just want ya to know, we've planted a huge bomb inside the hotel, and it's gonna go off in a half hour, and ya can't stop it. We're gonna enjoy seein' all those kiddies blown sky high!"

He punctuated his message with an over the top evil laugh before hanging up. "Nice, Marv," Harry rolled his eyes. "OK boys, lock and load," he told the rest of his gang, "Our millions and our vengeance awaits!"

* * *

"Oh no!" Kevin groaned, seeing HAZMAT and other emergency vehicles zooming past Sidney's Cherokee on the Strip, "They're already making their move!"

"Great!" Sidney slapped the steering wheel, "I hate when this happens! Well, we've just got to work around this and..."

But Kevin's attention was snatched by something important outside the passenger window. "Sidney, there's Nate!" he exclaimed, pointing hard, "And hurry, it looks like he's in trouble!"

For a terrified, squirming Nate was being dragged into an alley next to New York, New York by an ominous-looking unshaven man. "Yeah, I see," rage spread on Sidney's face, "Well, we're going to stop this right now."

He pulled over hard to the curb, smashing into a Cadillac in the space in front of him. "Stay behind me," he instructed Kevin, who joined him in exiting the car, "I don't want you in danger here too."

Kevin nodded softly. He fell behind Sidney and followed the bellboy into the alley. "Hold still, you little rat!" Nate's attacker was bellowing, flashing a knife in his face and straining to hold him down to the ground, "This is only going to take...!"

"Uh, excuse me," Sidney spoke up loudly, "But do you have a license for what you're thinking of doing here?"

"Stay out of this, fat boy!" the other man leaped to his feet and thrust his knife at Sidney, "This is none of your business!"

"Stopping people like you who seem to like attacking kids IS my business," Sidney defiantly advanced towards him, "So is this going to be easy, or is this going to be hard!?"

Roaring, the other man swung the knife at him. Sidney jumped out of its path, disarmed his foe with an Akido kick, and started pummeling him with a massive barrage of martial arts blows. "You know," he bellowed in rage, "There's a hierarchy in Hell, and the lowest circle closest to Satan is reserved for people like you!"

He picked the attacker up and pile-drove him hard onto the lid of the nearest dumpster. The other man crumpled limply to the ground, motionless. His face now racked with concern, Sidney squeezed his wrist. "Good, just out cold," he breathed in relief, "If I'd actually killed him..."

"You did good," Kevin commended him. He rushed forward towards his friend, still laying on the ground. "Nate are you all right!?"

"Kevin!" sobbing out of control, Nate threw his arms around him, "Thank God you saw me; I was so scared! He made it clear he was going to...going to...!"

He let out a loud burst of grief. "I'm here, Nate," Kevin hugged him close, "You'll be all right now."

"No I'm not all right! I've been a complete jerk!" Nate lamented out loud, "You were right, Kevin; I've only been thinking of myself the last few weeks! I miss Mom and Dad so much; I want to go home!"

He buried his face in Kevin's chest. "I should have never run away!" he continued, "I've been walking around for the last twenty hours without anything to eat; I got mugged by another guy right after midnight, so I had no money to get anything to eat. I was finally going to turn myself in when that guy grabbed me by the MGM Grand and made it clear he was going to...everything I'm going through at home's nothing compared to all this! You were right all along, Kevin; we should have gone home right away. But I don't deserve to go home after what I've done...!"

"Nate, Nate," Kevin pulled his head up to look him in the eye, "I don't care anymore about anything you said or did. I'm just glad my best friend's all right. And you're not beyond forgiving. Remember what I said the pigeon lady told me in New York last year? A good deed erases a bad deed, and good deeds count extra tonight on Christmas Eve. And it looks like we're going to get the chance to get you a good deed to do."

He related the Wet Bandits' scheme, and their classmates' current situation. "Well, I just hope they're not dead yet," Nate said softly when he'd finished.

"I don't think so; Mr. Burke didn't want any dead bodies around until the vault was robbed, and the Bad Guys were bent on getting a ransom from Danielle's dad. So they're probably safe until the job's done," Kevin rationalized, "So we have to..."

He caught sight of another figure trudging by the front of the alley. "Mr. Walley," he recognized Martin and ran towards him, "Mr. Walley, the...!"

"This is the end," Martin mumbled out loud, not really noticing him, "Accidents, fire alarms, shooting in the lobby, now bomb threats. Dad and I are out for sure now. How can I face him now when he gets here...!?"

"Mr. Walley, snap out of it!" Kevin shook his pant leg hard, "You've been set up by Mr. Burke the whole time!"

Martin's head jerked downwards towards him. "What? Oh, it's you. What was that?" he asked, frowning.

"Burke wants your father's company," Sidney came over, "He's about to rob the vault and pin it on you to force the Walley family out."

"Here's the proof," Kevin dug out his Talkboy and played back Burke's incriminating words to the Wet Bandits the previous night. Martin's eyes went wide at the conversation. "I should have known," he muttered darkly, "Burke always did seem the type to pull something like this. I can guess he tampered with the floats and rides all this time too so that I'd get the bad publicity. Well, we've got..."

It was at that moment that a loud boom came from the direction of the Walley World Resort down the street. A single firework rose high into the sky and exploded in a shower of red sparks. "That's the signal. The Bad Guys are moving in now," Kevin gulped, "We've got to stop them and save the others quick. And..." a smile started spreading on his face, "I know exactly how to do it."

"You mean we're going to do it, Kevin?" Nate asked him eagerly.

"We don't have much time to do anything else, so yeah, Nate, we're going to do it," Kevin nodded.

"ALL RIGHT!" Nate pumped his fist in excitement, "I've wanted to do that with you ever since you first told me you'd done it."

"But keep in mind, we're not aiming to kill them, Nate," Kevin reminded him, "Just cause them enough grief to slow them down or stop them until the cops can arrest them all."

"Um, what are you planning to do?" Martin asked him, confused.

"Operation Ho-Ho-Ho 3," Kevin told him, "You and Sidney can help us too, Mr. Walley; since obviously the two of you know the resort's layout, you can help us figure out the best places to lay the traps for these guys, and what we can use for traps."

"Traps? I'm afraid I still don't understand..."

"I'll explain on the way," Kevin took his hand and started pulling him towards the hotel, "Come on, we've got to hurry..."


	16. Operation Ho Ho Ho 3, The Beginning

"Get the stuff over, double time," Harry commanded the rest of his gang, hauling their tools and explosives towards the loading dock (he himself had abstained from carrying anything). He rang the buzzer on the back door. Moments later, it swung open. "Were you followed or seen?" Stone asked them.

"Nope, and we're ready to go if you are," Harry told him. Stone waved the burglars inside and led them across the hall and down the stairs towards the vault area. Burke was pacing back in front of it, his cell phone to his ear. "...looks like there was no bomb, Roy, but we're going to do a check internally to make absolutely sure," he was telling Walley. He held up his hands at the newcomers and put a finger to his lips to keep them quiet, "Yeah, I think we'll still get the premiere in fine, a few hours later. How about you wait there at McCarran until we finish up and I can give you the green light? Don't worry, I have your best interests in mind here, Roy; the last thing America needs is for anything to happen to you. Good, I'll let you know when we're clear."

He hung up. "Thanks for coming quickly, gentlemen," he told the burglars, "I wasn't expecting Walley to come earlier, but I think we can keep him bottled up at the airport for at least an hour or so. So make it quick if you can. Mr. Stone's posted security around the building; no one will interfere with this. And we turned off all the security cameras in the building, so there'll be no proof you were ever in here. Get to work."

"You got it, Chuckie. OK, Fingers," Harry waved the safecracker forward, "Drill that vault."

* * *

"So you've beaten these criminals before by having them walk into trap after trap after trap?" Martin was amazed at Kevin's story, "Well, why do you think they'll fall for it a third time?"

"I think they will; they're too dumb not to," Kevin told him. "The others, I'm not so sure about," he frowned, "And to be honest, I don't like the odds we'll be facing. It was so much easier when it was just me versus the two of them; now we're dealing with five burglars and a load of armed security guards."

"You're not giving up before we start, are you Kevin?" Nate gave him a strange look.

"Of course not, Nate; that money deserves to go to charity," Kevin said firmly, "So we're going to do it-after we spring the others. I could really use Ethan for this since he's the expert on aerodynamics..."

"Well, doesn't look like we can go through the front door," Sidney caught their hands as they approached. Kevin saw it too: half a dozen security guards stationed right out front with heavy guns in hand. "Great!" he muttered, ducking down behind Sidney, "We need a disguise of some kind..."

"Don't worry, little guy, problem solved," Sidney's gaze had turned towards the nearest HAZMAT truck, the back door was which was wide open. A bin full of radiation suits was in clear view, as was a wheeled table with a sheet running down the sides. The bellboy rushed over and pulled two suits out. "Here," he tossed one to Martin, "They'll have no idea who we are if we're wearing these. You two, under here," he waved Kevin and Nate under the table. The two of them climbed under and grabbed onto the legs. Moments later, they felt it being pushed. "Just stay quiet down there till we're in the clear," Sidney advised them.

Kevin quickly stuck his thumb up from under the cloth, then drew it back in. His mind was racing. There were a thousand and one ways this could all go wrong, and if it did, they were almost certainly in big trouble and might get immediately shot...

Fortunately, however, he could hear the front door opening in front of them. They were at least going to get into the building, he thought. "OK, I don't have a clue where the detention wing is," he heard Sidney asking Martin above him, "You got any idea...?"

"Elevator, basement level, it should be off to the right," Martin told him, "Frankly, I still think we should just call the police rather than put these kids into harm's way..."

"I know your point, Martin, but one, their lines are probably all busy due to this bomb threat here, and two, by the time we do get through to them, these guys'll be long gone with most of the loot," Sidney hissed back, "Kevin's done this before, so I think we can trust that he knows what he's doing. Here we go."

Kevin heard the ding of the elevator door opening. He turned to Nate and mouthed, _"See, not all grown-ups are evil." _ Nate nodded back, apparently having learned the lesson now. Kevin leaned back against the table leg, wondering for whatever reason why in the movies it always seemed characters came up with a good reason not to call the police before the final showdown with the villains when simply doing that would have solved all their problems without a hassle. The elevator ride seemed to take forever, but eventually, the door slid open again at what he guessed was the basement. The table was wheeled to the right. "I see it-that must be it there," he heard Sidney whisper, "Just two guys on duty, it looks like. I'll do the talking; they probably wouldn't recognize me at all."

Kevin heard him walking forward away from the cart. "This area is closed," a stern voice rang out.

"Uh, yeah, well, we got orders to sweep down here; the boss thinks the bomb, if there is one, could be in here," Sidney explained to the guards.

"There's no bomb down here; we looked ourselves. Now turn that thing around and get out of here," another guard demanded harshly.

"Oh yeah, well, I guess you guys know what you're doing," Sidney started to turn to leave, "But I'd still have to do this, then."

Kevin heard the sound of more Akido kicks ringing out, followed by the groans of the guards, and two masses hitting the floor. "Bring it in," Sidney directed Martin, who wheeled the cart ahead, "You guys can come out now," he called to the boys. Kevin scrambled out from under the cloth to see the guards lying dazed on the floor, and Sidney standing in front of a door with a security strip on it. "This looks like it," he remarked out loud, "Just hope my code key can open it."

He dug it out and swiped it against the strip. Sure enough, a buzzer rang out, and the light on the strip went from red to green. "Yep," Sidney nodded in triumph. He thrust the door open. Immediately, Kevin's classmates, all huddled in the back of the small, windowless closet, glanced up in surprise. "Hi," Sidney removed his headpiece, "Remember me?"

"You guys all right!?" Kevin squeezed past him, relieved to see them more or less physically unharmed.

"Kevin, you made it back!" Julian rushed him and gave him a tremendous high five, "We thought you might be dead...!"

"Hey, it takes a lot to keep a McCallister down," Kevin told him, "Found Nate too," he waved Nate forward, "Now we'll need..."

He was abruptly hugged by a sobbing Danielle. "Well, I am glad you're all right, Danielle, but I..." he tried to say.

"I'm so sorry, Kevin," she gushed through her tears, "I've treated you bad, treated everybody bad. Maybe I am nothing but the spoiled rich girl."

"We told you it was all right," Sarah patted her on the shoulder.

"At least fifty times," Ethan added, rolling his eyes.

"You were right, Kevin; it was my fault we got exposed by spending too much," Danielle continued her guilt trip, "If I hadn't, they wouldn't have got suspicious, and those monsters wouldn't have grabbed us. We've got to get out of here," she glanced fearfully back up the hall, "They told Daddy they'd kill me if the ransom money wasn't paid..."

"Well, you're OK now, so I don't think you have anything to worry about," Kevin tried to rationalize.

"You don't understand!" she let out a burst of grief, "Daddy won't pay it! He won't even care! He spends all his time away on business; I'm hardly ever a thought in his mind! That's why I've spent all that time shopping, to feel like I really am someone special. But I'm not; I'm just a brat who puts everyone down to feel superior...!"

Kevin noticed Danielle's diary laying nearby. He picked it up and leafed through the pages, most of which seemed to have one phrase repeated often: I'M SO ALONE. "I know how you feel," he told her, handing it back to her, "For the longest time, Danielle, I felt alone as the youngest in my family since it seemed no one wanted to do anything with me. But you're not just a brat; if you were, you wouldn't be willing to admit you were wrong. When my family left without me on vacation two years ago, I had to come to terms with the fact I was wrong in being pushy with them at times. But when I did, it felt better than I had in a long time, and I think you'll feel better too now that you've seen the light. And you're not alone," he put his hands on her shoulders, "As long as you're sincere about changing, it would be an honor to be your friend. No one should have to feel alone."

"Thank you," she mumbled, wiping her eyes, "But it's too late for me now..."

"It's never too late for anyone. Like I just told Nate when we found him, a good deed erases a bad deed, and I think I know exactly how you can help do a good deed with us," he told her.

"We're going to do it," Nate eagerly told the others, "We just have to figure out what to use and where to put it."

"You mean we're actually going to set up a whole load of traps for these guys?" Julian's face lit up.

"You'll finally get the chance to be the knight in shining armor, Julian," Kevin told him with a grin, "It'll be just like Rama and Sita facing down Ravanna and his demon army, just like Prince Tomino going one on one with the Queen or the Night-or just like Vasalissa taking on Baba Yaga," he turned to give Sarah a knowing wink, "And so on and so forth. So who's with me?"

All the other children let out loud cheers. "OK, we've got to be careful, because they've got security all over this place, and if we get caught before it's all set up, we're sunk," Kevin pulled them into a circle, "And like I told Nate, we're not trying to kill or maim. But I'm open to any ideas-Ethan, you know about physics," he turned to the class brain, "Let me know what you think will work..."

* * *

And so, an hour or so later, Kevin was staring intensely at the screen in the central control room above the resort's amusement area, watching the burglars drilling their seventh hole into the vault with their large drill on the restarted security cameras. Fortunately, no guards had been manning this control room, and so they had been able to go in and program the automatic parts of Operation Ho-Ho-Ho 3. Now they just had to wait for the right moment to initiate it. "Looks like they're just about done now," he mused softly.

"Yep, seven holes is probably enough to successfully blast the vault-and they're done," Ethan remarked, watching Fingers back the drill away from the vault door, "That's probably our cue to go for it."

"OK," Kevin took a deep breath, "This is all being recorded, right?" he asked Martin at the console.

"Yep, looks like we got the whole thing," Martin nodded, pointing at the video from the vault camera.

"Keep recording until we lure them away from the vault," Kevin requested, "Sidney, back us up if we need it," he asked the bellboy, who was working with the gloves of a motion control suit nearby.

"Don't any of you worry about a thing," Sidney gave him a wink.

"Well I'm worried," Danielle spoke up, "I know you told me you have experience with this, Kevin, but I don't know if we rigged up enough traps to take enough of them out," she confessed to him, "And like we've seen, they are heavily armed..."

"Yeah, I know. But that's a risk we're going to have to take. That's why I set up a couple traps to buy us time to rig more if needed," Kevin told her, "And our plan is basically to hold out long enough. Once we have them good and softened up, then we'll call the cops and have them arrest them all."

"And we'll have plenty of evidence to pin on them between the video and the tape recording," Julian said grandly, playing with his own motion control suit, "It's really cool they have this stuff to use here," he proclaimed, "And this way we don't get directly in harm's way for a while."

"Yeah, Creative came up with these as a backup plan in case the costumed character actors got sick and had to miss meet and greets," Sidney explained, "Now we can put them to good use this way too."

"Well, time to put it aside for now, Julian, because we're on," Kevin noticed Sam and Fingers stuffing dynamite into the holes drilled in the vault, "Everybody in; hands in," he waved the other children close and extended his hand for them to grab. "All right," he said firmly, "Let's roll."

* * *

"Everyone stand clear," Fingers announced, pulling up the plunger on his detonator. The rest of the Wet Bandits Gang, plus Burke and his cronies, rushed for cover around the corner. "Three," the safecracker called out loud, "two, one..."

He pressed down on the plunger. A loud explosion rocked the vault door, which shuddered, then toppled forward to the floor. "OK, all clear," Fingers announced, a smile spreading on his face at the successful job.

"OK, make this quick; Walley'll be calling soon, and I probably can't hold him much longer, if at..." Burke was cut off as the crooks rushed past him to claim their loot. "Half a billion bucks, and it's all ours," Harry's eyes bulged out of his head in delight at all the greenbacks before them, "Charity, schmarity; I say let the kids rot. Come to papa."

He greedily started shoveling dollar bills off the shelves into the bag he was carrying, as did his partners. "Remember to leave at least some so we can frame Martin Walley afterwards," Burke reminded them firmly.

"Yeah, sure. But first things first," Marv eagerly shoved several huge stacks of money off the shelves with his crowbar into his own bag. Had he or anyone else looked back, however, they likely would have seen Kevin and Nate stick their heads around the corner. "Two guards with them," the former noticed, "As long as we're fast enough, we can probably keep ahead of them. OK Nate, start filming," he whispered. Nate hefted the video camera he'd brought with him and started recording the looting of the vault. Kevin had felt an extra incriminating video-one that would give the villains extra incentive to chase after them-would be an extra bonus. Now they just had to wait for the right moment to throw the bait.

No one noticed them as the robbery continued, for all the villains' eyes were still trained on the vault. Finally, when the Wet Bandits Gang started exiting the vault with loaded bags, Kevin knew it was time to get everyone's attention. "Showtime," he whispered to Nate. The two of them stepped out from around the corner right as Marv was exclaiming happily, "Whoa boy, this has gotta be the biggest haul in the history of crime! And we're gonna get away with it without nobody noticin'!"

_"Don't you wish?"_ Kevin thought with amusement to himself. He whistled loudly to get everyone's attention, raised his camera, and snapped a picture of the villains before they could react. "WHAT!?" Marv shrieked in shock at the sight of Kevin before him, "But yer dead in the desert!"

"Guess again," Kevin snapped another photo of the Bad Guys holding the moneybags, "And we're going to give these photos to the cops unless you catch us first."

"WASTE HIM, LENNY!" Harry screamed to the mob enforcer, who cocked his semi-automatic. Kevin jumped out of sight right before the bullets started flying and pulled Nate to safety as well. "OK, let's lead them into the pressure cooker," he told his friend, taking off up the stairs towards the lobby.

"This is great," Nate was on Cloud Nine, "This is easily the most fun moment of my life so far."

"Well, let's hope it stays fun and doesn't get dangerous," Kevin turned back briefly to hear an enraged Burke screaming, "Get them! They got us all on camera; we'll all fry if they get away!" Footsteps started pounding up the vault hall and up the stairs, but Kevin wasn't worried yet; they'd had too much of a head start, he'd reasoned. Now they simply had to get them into place for the first zonk of the evening...

He shoved open the door into the lobby. "OK, pour it!" he shouted to the girls, who were standing on either side of the door. Sarah and Danielle emptied the detergent bottles they'd found in the costume washing room all over the floor in front of the door, then dove with the boys to safety behind a nearby plant. "Is this going to work?" Sarah seemed uncertain.

"It'll work, trust me," Nate assured her, "As long as they don't get out of the path of...shhhh, here they come now..."

Moments later, the villains charged through the door...and promptly began slipping and sliding like crazy on the detergent. "What the hell is this!?" Lenny shouted, flailing his arms like crazy to keep his balance.

"The kid's at it again, tryin' to stop us!" Harry leaned forward hard to keep from falling on his back, "But this time he ain't gonna...!"

"Harry!" Marv pointed in terror towards the front door. Seconds later, Julian and Ethan smashed open the nozzles to the scuba tanks attached to the luggage rack they had positioned by the front door. With a shriek of escaping compressed air, the rack shot at warp speed across the lobby and slammed into the crooks, sending them flying back through the door and down the hall. Burke and his cronies, having just crested the stairs in pursuit, saw it coming at them too late; it slammed into them, carrying them backwards as well, and then toppled down the stairs to the vault with a loud crash and the agonized cries of its impromptu passengers. "YES!" Kevin pumped his fists in delight, "That's a good start to the game. OK, position two, everyone, position two!"

The six of them ran to the far end of the lobby, where two giant wind fans from the soundstages were now set up. It had been a chore wheeling them into position, but he had a feeling they would buy them sufficient time to keep the villains at bay until they could set up more traps. Already he could hear the angry footsteps stomping down the hall like an approaching horde. "OK kid, where are ya!?" Harry bellowed in rage, bursting through the door.

"We're over here, and we're REALLY scared," Kevin called to him. "Ready," he prompted Nate, who had his hands on the fans' start switch, "And...now!"

Nate turned the fans on the moment all the villains had entered the lobby. With a loud roar, they rose to life, trapping the burglars and duplicitous Walley employees in a fifty mile an hour gale. "Who is this kid!?" Burke shouted, straining to keep his footing in the maelstrom.

"He's the spawn of Satan!" Harry bellowed, stumbling to the ground from the wind, "He's done this to us three years now, but he ain't gettin' away with it this time!"

"Want to bet!?" Kevin shouted down to them. "Give them their just desserts," he called to Julian, who shoved a waiter's table loaded with pies into the path of the fans. The pies were lifted into the air and sent flying square into the villains' faces. "Now help them wash it down," Kevin told Danielle, who spun the nozzle on the nearest fire hose and aimed it into the fans' stream, which quickly left them being deluged by a de facto rainstorm. Danielle positioned the hose over the pies' table on the floor so it would continue to soak the Wet Bandits Gang, who were stumbling around in place and being blown backwards. "This is actually pretty fun, Kevin," she told him, smiling for the first time all trip.

"So far. This should hold them till we get more set up. So let's move on," he waved them around the fans, "Let's get them set for a Walley experience they'll never forget."


	17. Operation Ho Ho Ho 3, Part 2

"Just...about...got it...sir," Les gasped, crawling along the floor towards the fans' switch, "And...here!" he switched them off. The rest of the villains stumbled to their feet, sopping wet from the spraying they'd taken with the hose. "OK, half my loot to whoever rips his head off!" Harry bellowed in rage, "Which way'd he go!?"

"That way," Sam pointed, "But watch the temper, Harry; that's what did you in before..."

But Harry was already racing full tilt around the fans, muttering under his breath at the top of his lungs. Burke followed close behind, pulling out a walkie-talkie. "Attention all security personnel," he barked to his men, "Those brat kids are loose in the complex, and they have photos of the robbery. Shut down the elevators and seal off all entrances and exits immediately. And shoot to kill."

"Sir, please, remember what I said last night about dead kids...!" Les begged him to be rational.

"Murphy, they have photos of me at the scene of the crime; I'll get no less than fifty years if they leak out, not to mention I'll lose any chance of running Roy Walley Entertainment! Those kids have to be stopped at all costs!" Burke shot back at him.

"But can't we out least outsource the job to someone else!?" Les's protests fell on deaf ears as the entire group, now joined by hoards of arriving security guards who'd received Burke's message, charged into the resort's amusement park in the atrium. "OK kid, come out wherever ya are!" Harry shouted, looking around in all directions for Kevin, "And don't think of tryin' nothin' else, 'cause this time we gotcha outnumbered a million to one!"

"Wow, there's really a million of us?" Marv was impressed. Harry ignored him. "Show yerself, kid!" he continued yelling, waving his gun around wildly. Up in the control room, Kevin was in fact slipping on a motion control suit of his own. "A little big, but I think this should work, right?" he asked Martin at the security console, who nodded. "OK," he turned to his friends, wearing suits of their own, "What do you say we take this as far as we can and even the odds here a bit?"

"Let's do it," Nate was ready. Kevin pressed the activation button on the front of his suit and started walking forward in place. On the monitor attached to the suit, he could see the view the Marty Moose robot he was controlling was seeing. Soon, he was approaching where the villains were standing. "Hey look, here comes Marty Moose!" Marv took the bait and eagerly ran over to him, "Hey Marty, ya see some kids around here?"

"Nope," Kevin said into the microphone in front of his face, his voice magically coming out the other end as Marty's (part of the special technology Creative had drawn up, Sidney and Martin had told him), but I've seen you guys robbing this hotel's vault. And that makes Marty one mad moose!"

He used the control suit to make Marty grab Marv, pick him up, and toss him into a line of guards, bowling them over like tenpins. Other robotic characters controlled by his friends now appeared and the scene and started punching away at the crooks and guards. Kevin now directed Marty over towards Burke, who was screaming for the guards to keep calm and ignore the robots. "Hiya, Chuck," he said as Marty, grabbing Burke by the shoulders, "I heard you want to force the Walleys out of the company. Well, here's what I think of that!"

He reared back his foot and made Marty kick Burke hard in the balls. Burke let out a high-pitched shriek that would have gained him instant entry into any soprano choir in the world. Kevin used Marty to shove him into a popcorn machine, shattering it and sending popcorn cascading all over him. "OK, force them towards the roller coaster," he instructed his friends, "We can get rid of some of them on there."

Julian, Sarah, and Nate used their characters to chase a half dozen or so guards towards the looping steel Forest Screamer coaster. They grabbed hold of them at the loading area, hoisted them up, and threw them onto into the coaster's cars. "Ethan, lock it and launch it," Kevin directed the class brain, who pressed a button on the control panel that locked the coaster's lap bars into place, pinning the guards into the chairs, then hit the start button. The coaster started up the lift hill and soon was screaming along the tracks at warp speed despite the guards' terrified shrieks. "Brakes are disabled, so they'll keep going around and around like this," Ethan announced.

"Good," Kevin rushed over to the console, "Now let's zero in on the Bad Guys..."

Down by the carousel, Harry and Marv were staggering around after having been thrown around a bit by the robots. "It ain't fair, Harry; he shouldn't have an army like this to come after us!" the taller crook lamented.

"Don't worry about it, Marv; he's desperate," Harry rationalized, "He don't got the courage to come at us directly, so he's usin' these things to attack us. Well he's got somethin' coming now...what?" he noticed Marv's eyes widening.

"Drag...Drag...Drag...!" Marv was stammering in fear, noticing the dragon-form Queen of the Night from her climactic battle with Prince Tomino in The Magic Flute rising up from a compartment on the top of the atrium.

"Speak English, Marv, what!?" Harry demanded, not turning around to follow his partner's gaze.

"DRAG...DRAG...!"

"WHAT IS IT!?" Harry roared in his partner's face, still not turning around.

"This," Kevin pressed the dragon's control button inside the control room. A tremendous burst of flame shot out of the dragon's mouth and arced halfway across the amusement area. It took Harry perhaps five seconds to realize that, for the third straight Christmas, his head was on fire. Once he did, he let out a shrill scream and started running around in a panic. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll help ya! Hold still!" Marv reared back with his crowbar and brought it down hard on Harry's head. "Marv, what the hell're ya doin'!" Harry protested.

"Hold still!" Marv beat furiously at the flames with his crowbar despite Harry's yelps of protest, but the fire continued to burn hard. "OK, Plan B then!" the taller crook declared out loud. Plan B entailed him picking Harry up over his head and hurling him headfirst into the nearby lagoon, which did in fact extinguish the flames. "There, see, problem solved," Marv clapped his hands in triumph.

"And here comes another problem," Kevin chuckled, punching in several more instructions to the computer to reposition the dragon, then hit the control button again. Another burst of flames shot across the room and ignited the seat of Marv's pants. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!" Marv shrieked in pain. He started running around in circles, screeching like Michael Jackson and doing nothing to put out the flames-until he noticed the lagoon he'd thrown Harry into and leaped into it, coming down hard on top of Harry. "Well, at least we got the fires out, Harry," he tried to rationalize to his partner.

Muttering furiously, Harry seized Marv's crowbar and started beating him over the head with it in frustration. Kevin high-fived Ethan in delight. "OK guys, we're going out there, so just be careful," he told the other children, "Have your walkie-talkies ready so we can keep each other informed," he held his up, as did they, "Sidney, Martin, keep them busy down here after we're done," he told the two adults in the room, "We'll let you know when we think we have them softened up enough; call the cops then."

"Just be careful, little guy. Hoooo, hooooo, hoooooo!" Sidney was controlling a Santa robot at the moment. He reared back with the sack the robot was holding and used it to smack a trio of guards hard over the head one at a time. Kevin exited the control room, everyone else right behind him. "Danielle, how's it coming on the first floor?" he activated his own walkie-talkie.

"Doing OK, but I'll still need some more time to get it set, Kevin; these TVs are really killers," she could be heard straining on the other end.

"OK, we'll buy you some time here. Julian, you and Nate lure some of them over to Rama's Flying Chariots and hit them with what we put in there. Ethan, see if you can trick some of them into the Splat Zone spheres on the race car track too. Sarah, come with me; we'll get them on the water slides."

The children split up. Kevin hustled with his head hung low behind several concession stands with Sarah in tow. "Bet you really feel like someone special now to be doing this, don't you?" he asked her with a smile.

"I do," she was smiling in turn, "This is the most fun I've had in my whole life."

"Well, let's have some more fun then," Kevin lifted her up onto the stairs above them leading up to the top of the water slides, then climbed up himself. Fortunately, they remained unnoticed by any of the villains as they climbed up. Kevin stopped by a landing that they'd greased up heavily and scanned the area for the Bad Guys. He spotted them fairly quickly by the Scrambler nearby, having a stern conversation with the safecracker and the enforcer. "Hey guys," he called down to them, holding the photos he'd taken of them committing the robbery, "Look what I've still got."

"YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, KID!" an enraged Harry roared up at him. All four villains rushed for the stairs up to where Kevin and Sarah were standing. "OK, hold it until they're just about here," Kevin whispered at her, "Hold it...hold it...now!"

The two of them jumped backwards onto the stairs behind the greased landing right as Harry reached it. He started slipping and sliding like crazy but managed to hold his balance. Or at least did, until Marv, unable to stop, crashed into him from behind, sending Harry toppling over the railing and free falling towards the floor. He only managed to fall halfway, however, before the fall was rudely interrupted by him landing crotch-first on the air conditioner Kevin and his friends had jammed into place between several of the superstructure's struts. Harry's similarly soprano-level shriek echoed loudly throughout the atrium. "Don't move, Harry, I'll save ya!" Marv called down to them. "You guys get them; I'll help Harry," he told Lenny and Fingers, pushing past them down the stairs.

"Move, now-and duck!" Kevin pushed Sarah down as Lenny opened fire on them again, "You know what we do at the top, right? The old in and out trick."

"Got it," she whispered back. The two of them reached the top of the water slide platform and ducked into the nearest "bomb drop" chamber. "And...now!" Kevin instructed her once Fingers and Lenny took flying leaps at them. He and Sarah slid under the crooks' grasp, rushed back outside, and closed and locked the chamber door. "Open up right now, kid!" Lenny bellowed, pounding hard on the door.

"Sorry, can't do that," Kevin taunted him, "But I'll share a riddle with you guys: what do you think's going to happen when we push this button?"

He pointed to the large red button by the door. Both Lenny and Fingers went pale. Their eyes shot downwards towards the floor, which had a visible divide in it. "Don't do it, kid!" Lenny screeched at him.

"We'll give ya a million bucks if you don't do it!" Fingers added.

"Sorry, but you guys couldn't steal a million in an entire year," Kevin lifted Sarah up. She jammed her palm down on the button, which opened the trapdoor under the chamber and sent both crooks rocketing down the water slide while screaming at the top of their lungs-at least until they crashed hard into the rudimentary brick wall the children had put together at the bottom of the slide.

Another shriek turned Kevin's head to the right. As Ethan had laid out for them, the air conditioner could not stay in place under Harry's weight any longer and was sliding out from its position. Frantic, Harry reached out and grabbed a cord hanging nearby as the air conditioner fell away from under him and he started falling again, but this only served to pull the broken klieg light it was attached to off the roof of the water slide launch chamber it had been left resting on. It was at this point Marv finally reached the bottom of the stairs. "Don't worry, Harry; I'll catch ya!" he shouted, raising his arms up to catch his partner. Instead, he caught the air conditioner-in the forehead. Marv crumpled to the concrete with a loud groan. Harry landed with a thud on top of him moments later. The shorter crook noticed the cord piling up next to him, glanced up, and had just enough time to let out a weak, "Oh no!" before the klieg light slammed down on top of him with a thud.

"YES!" Kevin exclaimed again, high fiving Sarah, "Two birds with one stone; I love it!"

"Looks like it's going to be three, actually," Sarah pointed to the ground. A shrieking Burke was now entrapped inside one of the metal Splat Zone spheres and being rolled towards the pool by Ethan in a go kart. With one final burst of gasoline, Ethan gave the sphere one last push that sent it sailing into the pool with a loud splash. "Great job, Ethan," Kevin flashed his friend a thumbs-up, "OK, let's get out of here; everyone, next floor, next, floor," he said into his walkie-talkie, "Martin, Sidney, give us some cover."

He hefted Sarah over the railing and fitted her around one of the supports to slide all the way to the floor, then followed after her. "We're coming up, Danielle; are you done yet?" he radioed her.

"Just about. If you want the whole effect, though..."

"Don't worry about it. That's why I set up the bit with the TVs-and it's a good thing you can get any movie on demand here. Hold the door for us," Kevin waved the rest of his group towards the exit door to the hotel's stairs, having seen them converging there. "Did you guys even the odds for us a bit?" he asked Julian and Nate.

"Yep, we've got about half a dozen guards out for the count on the chariot ride," Nate was grinning as if he'd won the lottery.

"There they are!" a very much unharmed guard leaped out from behind a Skee-Ball kiosk. "Everybody, they're heading for the stairs," he radioed his partners. It was then, though, that the giant water bucket atop the pool area, having been filled up in the control room, tipped over and doused the guard, and everyone else nearby, with a deluge of water. "That's our cover," Kevin pushed the door open, "Watch you don't get stuck," he told everyone, gesturing them to go around the tar they'd painted onto the steps, "Nate, go underneath and wait for them to be in position," he instructed his best friend, "We need someone down there to set up the other parts of this."

"You got it," a beaming Nate clambered down underneath the stairs. Kevin led everyone else up along the railing to the first floor landing. They reached the top right as the door slammed open below and footsteps started up the stairs, then stopped. "Arrrgh, what's this now!?" Stone groaned in distaste from having stepped into the tar.

"OK, nobody panic," Marv's voice, dazed but still cogent, rang out, "Harry and me's been through this before; we know how to handle this."

"We're dead," another guard grumbled.

"Watch and learn, buddy," Marv could be heard slipping his foot out of his shoe. "Small price to give up to get through," he announced, "Just everyone watch out for nails."

"This is stupid, Marv," Sam grumbled, but nonetheless the men could be heard very slowly making their way up the tarred steps. Kevin opened the first floor landing's door and waved everyone inside, then slammed it shut hard; he wanted the villains to know where they were going at the moment. "Looks good," he commended Danielle, who had three large screen TVs, all cued up to the points Kevin had specified, set up in a semicircle by the door, "OK, you be Angels with Filthy Souls," he told her. She nodded and took her place at the TV on the left. "Julian, you take Angels with Even Filthier Souls," Kevin directed him to the middle set, "Ethan, you're Angels with the Filthiest Souls of All," he pointed him to the last set. He jammed a bulk of wood they'd found against the door to keep it shut. "OK Sarah, up again; we're Johnny," he gestured her onto his shoulders, where she draped a trench coat they'd found in the props department over them and hefted a BB gun. "Hat too. Get ready, get ready..." Kevin heard the footsteps getting closer to the door, "And...take two!"

Grabbing hold of Sarah's ankles to keep her steady on his shoulders, he stepped into position in front of the door's window right as Johnny from Angels with Even Filthier Souls demanded, "Hold it right there!" The villains came screeching to a halt in front of the door. Stone grabbed the knob and pulled it hard, but the door refused to budge. "Take three," Kevin told Ethan, who hit play for Angels with the Filthiest Souls of All, prompting that film's Johnny to remark, "I wouldn't do that if ya wanted to keep yer head on yer shoulders, pal!" Stone stepped away from the door. "Ronald Stone, Chief of Security for the Walley World Resort; I demand you open this door immediately!" he ordered at the figure he could see through the door's window with its hat slouched low over its face.

"Take one," Kevin told Danielle. "Is that a fact?" Johnny from Angels with Filthy Souls sneered.

"Yes, it's a fact; there's some kids who came this way we need to apprehend!" the security chief shouted, "And if you don't open up, you'll be under arrest too!"

"Yeah, ya heard the guy, pal!" Harry pushed his way to the front of the group, "We've been chasin' these kids all night, and there ain't nothin' that's gonna stop us, ya hear me!?"

"Take two," Kevin whispered to Julian. "Ya was here last night too, wasn't ya!?" Johnny #2 demanded.

"Well, yeah, we was..."

"And ya was smoochin' with my brother!"

"WHAT!?" Harry's jaw dropped in shock, "Look pal, yer makin' a mistake here! I don't even know yer brother!"

"Don't gimme that!" Johnny #2 continued growling, "You've been smoochin' with everybody! Snuffy, Al, Leo, little Moe with the gimpy leg, Cheeks, Bony Bob, Cliff; I could go on forever, baby!"

Harry's mouth hung wide open. An equally stunned Marv leaned towards him. Ya did it with all those guys!?" he asked his partner, incredulous, "But they're all locked up on a whole 'nother cell block across Joliet...!"

"He's lyin'!" Harry shouted at him. "Listen bub, nobody calls Harry Lyme a homo and gets away with it, and I mean nobody!" he barked at the figure in the door, "So ya'd better take that back if ya don't wanna be filled fulla lead!"

"All right, I believe ya," Johnny #2 grumbled. Kevin clicked his lips at Sarah, who aimed the BB gun at the window right as Johnny continued, "But my Tommy gun don't!"

"WHOA!" all the villains exclaimed, jumping backwards in shock. "Sir, sir, please, there's no need for that!" Burke rushed forward, pale, "I'm Chuck Burke, chairman of the board of Roy Walley Entertainment, and I believe we can cut a deal here, say, ten thousand dollars to make you put the gun down and let us pass," he pulled out the money, "What do you say, sir?"

"Take one," Kevin told Danielle. "Leave it on the doorstep and get the hell outta here," Johnny #1 growled.

"Sir, we told you, we need to follow those children that came through, and you're not being cooperative," Burke shouted, tugging hard on the still jammed door, "Now what else do we have to do for you to let us through!?"

"Take two," Kevin whispered to Julian, covering his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at what he knew was coming next. "Get down on yer knees and tell me ya love me!" Johnny #2 snapped. The villains all exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Uh sir, we'd rather not..." Burke tried to protest.

Sarah gestured hard with the BB gun. Sighing, Burke dropped to his knees and gestured for the others to do the same. "I love you," he told the figure in the window without any emotion.

"Ya gotta do better than that!" Johnny #2 snarled. Sarah cocked the BB gun for extra emphasis. Sighing, Burke turned to the others and gestured for them to say it with him. "I love you," they all told "Johnny" as loudly as they could.

"Keep it together, keep it together!" Kevin whispered to the others, who were fighting hard to keep from laughing themselves. "Take two," he told Julian, who hit play for Johnny #2 to say, "Maybe I'm off my hinges, but I believe ya." "OK, go get it," he instructed Julian, "Danielle, fireworks."

Danielle pulled out a wad of fireworks they'd found on the soundstages, stuck them in a pot, and pulled out a match. Kevin turned to see Julian rolling forward a cardboard tube attached to a dolly, with red Christmas tree lights taped to the "barrel." "Take three," he instructed Ethan, then stepped back out of sight as Johnny #3 announced, "You may have bigger numbers, but I got bigger firepower. So here's how it's gonna go: I'm gonna give ya to the count of five to all get yer filthy, worthless, no good stinkin' hides off my territory, before I introduces all of ya to my howitzer!"

"YIPE!" came the unanimous cry from the other side of the door at the appearance of the "howitzer" in the window. "OK, light them," Kevin told Danielle, "Get ready to plug it in, Julian...and...take three!"

"FIVE!" Johnny #3 bellowed. Julian jammed the plug to the Christmas lights into the nearest outlet right as the firecrackers started going off, giving the impression the "howitzer" was indeed firing. Loud cries of terror could be heard on the other side as the men stumbled backwards towards the stairs-and immediately started slipping and falling down them, for Nate had slathered these stairs in grease while they'd been distracted by the movies behind the door. "They're gone," Sarah declared once they'd fallen down out of sight.

"OK, clear the path, clear the path!" Kevin helped her down, then unjammed the door and thrust it open. He watched Julian and Ethan push the mock cannon and the middle TV set aside. "I hope Nate set that trip wire right," the latter remarked nervously.

He got his answer quickly, as the ropes that had snaked out from under the door, unnoticed by the villains, started pulling another dolly that had been set up further up the hall forward-a dolly that had a large heavy wooden dresser set up on it. The dolly was pulled up to the edge of the stairs, where the dresser toppled off and fell top over bottom down the stairs, triggering terrified cries below, and then loud bangs as it made repeated impacts. "YES!" Kevin exclaimed in delight, "Another successful phase!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Nate was running up the stairs himself now. "We are aces! We are kings of the world!" he shouted happily, high fiving everyone, "They're all out cold from that one."

"Well, that at least buys us some more time. Next floor, next floor," Kevin waved them towards the stairs on the other end of the hall, "We're doing good so far, but we haven't even begun to fight yet..."


	18. Operation Ho Ho Ho 3, Part 3

"They did WHAT to you, sir?" the taller of the two security guards sent to guard the McCallisters and the other families said incredulously into his cell phone, "I can't believe it. Well, now I can see why those guys want to rub him out. Yep, they're still here, sir; we've kept a real close eye on them. Just be careful, Mr. Burke; this could get dangerous if they've gone this far."

He hung up. "Those kids are practically an army," he said to his partner, "They broke up the robbery and hit them with everything but the kitchen sink."

"Thank God," Kate breathed a sigh of relief over hearing this. "He is alive and all right," she said to her husband, "And it looks like it was true what those men said about him smashing them up."

"I guess so," Peter nodded, still looking worried, "But I hope he can hold out long enough..."

There came another agonized moan from Mrs. Ostrowski, agony on her face. "Gentlemen, my wife's ready to blow with her baby; please show her some mercy and let her go to the hospital and have it!" Mr. Ostrowski desperately begged the guards.

"I'm sorry, but we have our orders. I'm not unsympathetic, but our loyalty's to Mr. Burke," the taller guard shook his head, "And those other two men through him. So I'm afraid it's about time we end this."

He pulled out a clip of ammunition and started to jam it into his rifle. "Wait, before you do that, if you have to do it," Kate spoke up, "I would like to have one last kiss-just so I know you're sincere that you don't want to do this."

"Kate...!" Peter gave her a strained look.

"I mean it, Peter. One last bit of love before we're mowed down. How about it, mister?" Kate gave the taller guard a pleading look.

"Well, OK, if you insist, Mrs. McCallister. I suppose one kiss couldn't hurt," the taller guard leaned towards her and gave her a strong kiss on the lips...

...which gave Kate the chance to drive both her knees hard into his balls. The guard shrieked in agony and doubled over. Kate stumbled to her feet, reared back, and swung the chair's legs into his face, sending him sprawling hard into the wall and down to the floor, groaning. "All right, way to go, Mom," Jeff was impressed.

"Thank you...no you don't!" Kate charged forward and rammed her head into the shorter guard's chest before he could fire at her. He dropped his gun and staggered backwards, where he was promptly pancaked by both Rhodeses. sending him down to his knees. Kate gave him one final head butt that knocked him out cold to the floor. "Good work," she commended the Rhodeses.

"Thanks...I didn't need your help!" Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes shouted simultaneously at each other.

"Actually, it looked like you did," Kate dropped to her side and squirmed towards the taller guard; she had seen a knife in his pocket earlier, "So you see, you both want to save Ethan deep down. So why not work together instead of jabbering at each other over what you've done wrong?"

"Well...saving Ethan is why I'm here; I'd do anything for him," Mrs. Rhodes confessed.

"So would I; I've been worried about him from the start," Mr. Rhodes turned to his wife, a heavy expression on his face. "I think she's right, Janice. Truce till we find him?"

"Truce till we find him," she nodded, squirming around in her chair so she could shake hands with him.

"There, you see what I've been telling you two all this time?" Kate told them with a satisfied grin. She fumbled around in the guard's pocket for his knife, pulled it out, and quickly sawed through her bonds. "We've got to hurry," she rushed to her husband and freed him next, "There's no telling how long Kevin can hold out there at the hotel."

"I think it's about a ten minute drive from here to there, traffic permitting," Peter rushed over to free the Clarks, "Hopefully there will be something to drive, though."

"Looks like the car these two brought," Mrs. Tafton said from the window, staring out into the parking lot.

"It'll do for now. Leslie, call the cops once you have all the kids loose," Kate instructed her sister-in-law, releasing her next, "Make sure they stay safe; we're going in."

There was another wail from Mrs. Ostrowski. "You guys go on; I'll take Lisa to the hospital," Mr. Ostrowski told the other parents.

"No, I'm going too," Mrs. Ostrowski insisted, struggling to get to her feet.

"Lisa, you're in no condition to..."

"Mitch, I'm going," she said with great finality, "This baby can wait until I know Nate's perfectly safe."

"All right, come on then," Kate took her by the arm and gently led her towards the door, "We'll make you as comfortable as we can on the ride there. But hurry; we're running low on time."

* * *

"Everything set on the seventh floor?" Kevin asked through his walkie-talkie on the west stairwell.

"Looks like we got it set, Kevin," came Julian's voice, "How're you doing?"

"Just got to set something up here quick-can't believe we forgot to cover this part of the hotel," Kevin lamented, "I'll be over shortly."

He switched off and started positioning a board along the stairs-but it was at that minute the nearest door swung open, and an angry-looking Sam stormed out. "Don't move, kid," he warned Kevin, who was too surprised to move. The transient's eyes shot down towards the board. "I see what you're thinking here," he told Kevin coldly, "You think I'm going to just charge stupidly right at you so you can jump on your end of the board and hit me where it really hurts, and I'm supposed to scream in pain and fall down the stairs. Well, Harry and Marv might be dumb enough to fall for that, but unfortunately for you, I'm not them."

He activated his switchblade and stepped around the board. Panic swept Kevin for a brief moment over being thwarted, which allowed Sam to grab him by the arm. "I've wanted to do this to a kid for a long time," he snickered, raising the switchblade high...

But ducked as an iron was thrown at him from the landing above. "No you don't!" Danielle shouted down at him. She threw one more iron at Sam, who released Kevin and jumped out of its way-but that left him standing in the proper place Kevin had intended for the trap to work. Kevin quickly stomped down on his end of the board as hard as he could. Just as Sam had predicted, the other end shot up and hit him where it REALLY hurt. And also as he'd predicted, Sam reacted by screaming at the top of his lungs in pain and falling head over heels down the stairs. "Thanks," Kevin flashed Danielle a grateful thumbs-up.

"I figured I owed you one," she called down.

"Much appreciated. Well, might as well get everything we can out of this," Kevin picked the board up and held it over the railing, seeing Sam lying in a heap below. "Firewood, bombs away!" he called out cheerfully before releasing the board. "Not again!" was Sam's only response seconds before it conked him in the head. Kevin raced up the stairs to the next landing. "Is this one set?" he asked Danielle.

"It took a while to get this one all lined up right with how complex it is, but it's ready," she told him, "Careful going in the door."

She squeezed through the crack in the door. Kevin took care to do so as well, and he could see why; a mop was holding up a shelf of paint cans on the other side, and it was clear that too hard a push would send them down. Behind him, he could hear furious voices coming up the stairs behind him. "...nailed me with a board, Fingers!" Sam was irate-and his voice was about four octaves higher than normal from the previous trap. "I see why Harry and Marv hate everything about him, and now I hate him too!"

"Just keep it calm, Sam, we can't stop them if...there he is!" Fingers had spotted Kevin, as he had planned. Kevin slipped through the door and gestured Danielle to safety behind the nearby vending machine. Moments later, Fingers kicked the door open-which knocked the mop down and sent no fewer than eight paint cans down hard on his head. With a dazed expression, Fingers toppled face-first to the floor. With a growl and an enraged expression, Sam leaped over him...

...and immediately slipped on the large patch of whipped cream that had been spread on the floor and fell onto his chest onto the Splat Zone's Assembly Line, which Kevin and his friends had taken care to coat with a heavy layer of slime. Sam hydroplaned down the line at close to twenty miles an hour, taking stomps and blows from the contraption's feet and hammers, before sliding off the other end and straight down the hotel's laundry chute, which the Assembly Line had been set up against. Kevin rushed to the hatch and opened it, then listened with a smile to Sam's scream as he plunged several stories down the chute. The moment it had faded from earshot, a loud splat rang out below. Kevin nodded in satisfaction; the pea soup mixture they'd dumped into the washing machine they'd positioned under the bottom of the chute had worked well. "OK, give him a going away present," he told Danielle. She approached the chute and dropped her final iron down it. It disappeared from sight in a flash, but far below, a loud bang and louder howl of pain rang out. "Good work," he high fived her, "OK, let's go see what else we can do."

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, Marv, this is it, this is the last hurrah for him!" an enraged Harry stomped up the east stairwell, "When I get my hands on him this time, it ain't gonna be pretty at all!"

"So tell me why I have no confidence in you gentlemen to successfully stop him?" a skeptical Burke brought up the rear, "So far he's gotten the drop on you each and every time."

"His luck can't last forever, Chuckie. We're gonna get him good this time, and...THERE'S HIS FRIEND, HARRY!" Marv pointed at Nate's face in the seventh floor door's window, where he was sticking out his tongue at them. Muttering under his breath at the top of his lungs, Harry charged towards the door and grabbed the knob hard...

...and abruptly seized up and started vibrating hard, as if he was being electrocuted. "What, what is it, Harry!?" Marv confusedly asked his partner, leaning towards him, "First syllable...sounds like...eeeeeeeee...eeeeeeee...East Side Donut Company?"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" a wildly shaking Harry shrieked, smoke now pouring from his ears. Finally, he released the knob and fell writhing to the floor. Frowning, Marv grabbed the knob himself...and seconds later was screaming at the top of his lungs as electricity surged through his body as well, leaving his skeleton briefly visible. He too fell backwards, shaking wildly. "Idiots," Burke shook his head in disgust. "I hope you're smarter than that," he growled to Lenny, who was also in their group.

"No problem, Mr. Burke," cocking his semi-automatic, Lenny stepped over his partners and kicked the door open...

...which triggered the release mechanism of the small catapult up the hall, which in turn fired off a large bag of fertilizer from the resort's gardening shed that smashed hard into Lenny's face and sent him tumbling backwards into Burke. Both men toppled down the stairs. "Oh yeah!" a still excited Nate jumped for joy behind the door. "We are cooking with gas!" he high fived Julian, who was shutting down the electrical generator hooked up to the doorknob.

"You did good here?" Kevin came running up the hall with Danielle.

"Four bad guys out for the count," Julian pointed at the dazed villains before them.

"Well they'll be back up again soon, so let's..." Kevin abruptly leaped back as Harry took a lunge at him on the floor. "H-H-H-H-Hold st-st-st-st-still ya little r-r-r-r-r-rat!" he stammered in a rage, still suffering the effects of his electrocution, "G-G-G-Get up, M-M-M-Marv!" he kicked his partner to get him to his feet. "Fall back," Kevin instructed the others, leading them down the hall and into one of the rooms on the right. The burglars staggered comically down the hall, still vibrating from head to toe. "Ya c-c-c-can't get away fr-fr-from us, k-k-k-k-kid!" Harry shouted, "C-C-C-Come on outta there!"

"Why don't you come in and get us?" Kevin taunted him. Furious, Harry grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open...

Which pulled the pins on the pair of fire extinguishers set up facing the door, so that for the second time in twenty-four hours, the Wet Bandits got a blast of fire extinguisher fluid square in the face. Howling, they stumbled backwards blindly, toppling into a pair of wheelchairs they hadn't noticed before. The wheelchairs rolled backwards from the force of their impact, straight down the open elevator shaft behind them. Both burglars' screams as they fell all the way to the basement echoed loudly up the shaft, punctuated by a loud crash. "Ouch, they're going to feel that in the morning," Julian glanced down the shaft.

"I think they're feeling it now," Nate told him with a grin.

"Feel this, kids!" came Lenny's steamed voice from the other end of the hall, followed by a burst of lead from his semi-automatic. "Down the hall, down the hall!" Kevin instructed them, leading them around the corner. "Come back here, you!" Lenny continued firing after them, Burke hot on his heels. So worked up was the mob enforcer that he did not notice as he bumped hard into a crane camera set up right around the corner. The force of his impact, however, swung the arm around so that Burke, as he turned the corner, was smacked hard in the face by the camera at the end of the jib. Groaning, he staggered backwards, clutching his teeth. Lenny, meanwhile, continued onward, stopping in the middle of the now empty hall. "Come on out and face me like men!" he ordered the children, glancing around in every direction for them.

"We're in here; come and get us," Kevin called from another room to his left. Lenny thrust the door open-which pulled the wire attached to the baseball machine the children had brought up from the resort's batting cages, throwing its switch to on. In rapid succession, dozens of baseballs shot out of the machine and flew straight into Lenny's balls. Moaning in agony, Lenny doubled over, allowing one final baseball to nail him in the head, which sent him keeling over backwards to the floor. "You're out!" Nate gave the signal from the bed.

"Definitely," Kevin leaped over the prone Lenny, "OK, I'm going to find Ethan and Sarah and help them for a while. You guys go back to the elevator; I've got another idea for those guys..."

* * *

At the bottom of the elevator shaft, Marv was the first one back on his feet. "I'm gonna break that kid's neck!" he shouted out loud to no one in particular. "Let me give ya a hand there, Harry," he helped his partner up.

"Where is he!?" Harry looked around in a rage for Kevin.

"Up there, I think," Marv pointed up the shaft," We gotta get back up-ah, a rope, good," he noticed one hanging nearby, "I'll go first, Harry."

He grabbed the rope and pulled, but it started falling down instead. Puzzled, Marv looked up just in time to be walloped in the face by a large falling trunk. "Had to see that comin', ya dope!" Harry rolled his eyes at his partner's thickness, "Come on, we'll do it this way!"

He grabbed hold of the elevator door and pulled it open by sheer force. "Come on, up the stairs," he dragged the dazed Marv out of the elevator shaft...tripping over a tripwire in the process and tipping over a trough rigged over the door that dumped green Splat Zone slime over both of them. Harry screamed in rage. "How does he know every single thing we do!?" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Now it's total war, kid! Come on, Marv, let's get him!"

There came another loud growl from around the corner. Sam staggered into sight, covered in pea soup. "Ya get caught in an exorcism, Sammy?" Marv asked him with raised eyebrows.

"Don't start, Marv!" Sam thrust his switchblade at him, "I'm not in the mood at all! When I get my hands on your little friend, he's going to wish he was never born!"

"Good, good, channel the positive energy, Sammy," Harry patted him on the shoulder, "He's still up on the seventh floor; let's go."

He charged up the stairs with his colleagues in tow. On the third floor landing, they came across a dazed Fingers. "He hit me with paint cans, Harry," the safecracker groaned in pain.

"Welcome to the club, Fingers," Harry muttered, "OK, where'd you last see him?"

"I'm up here; come and get me," Kevin's voice rang out from several floor above. Roaring, Harry fired a shot upwards that missed, then barreled full tilt upwards. Indeed, he was so caught up in his rage that he failed to notice the small electric grills set up on the eighth floor landing, plugged into nearby outlets. And unfortunately for Harry, his shoes and socks were still stuck to the other staircase down by the first floor. "OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" he screeched once he'd stepped on the grills, hopping around in agony. Behind him, Marv also stepped on the grills. Howling, the taller burglar stumbled backwards and toppled halfway over the railing, but managed to grab hold of another rope hanging down the stairwell gap. This rope tipped over a mixer rigged overhead, dumping an avalanche of cement over an unsuspecting Fingers at the moment he reached the landing. "AAAAAARRRGGGHH!" the safecracker groaned, stumbling against the wall.

"Good way to cement a friendship, huh?" Kevin merrily called down to him. Growling, Fingers started up the stairs towards him, but started slowing down with each step; the cement was hardening quickly. Finally, as he reached the final set of steps towards where Kevin was standing, he came to a full stop, completely frozen in place by the cement. "Good thinking, Ethan," Kevin commended the class brain, standing next to him with Sarah, "This way we do take one of them out of the picture."

"Just so he can still breathe in all that," Ethan was frowning at the cemented Fingers.

"Yep, he can, look," Sarah pointed at Fingers, whose chest was going in and out.

"Ya don't do that to my partner and get away with it, kid!" Harry bellowed from below, followed by another shot ringing out. "It's set up?" Kevin had to ask, racing upwards with the others.

"See, right here," Ethan pointed to the Marty Moose statue on rollers situated atop the next landing.

"OK, let's have them meet Marty face to face," Kevin joined them behind the moose. The three of them pushed it down the stairs. There were cries of the crooks below, followed by a crash, and then Marty's jovial voice announcing, "Sorry folks, we're closed for a while to fix some broken rides here at the resort. Sooooooooooorrrrrryyyyyyy."

"Good work," Kevin commended them. He activated his radio. "OK, start converging on the east stairs," he instructed the other children, "Time to lead them towards the top floor."

* * *

"Come on, come on, come on!" Peter shouted in frustration at the guards' car, which was feebly coming to a stop in the middle of the road, smoke billowing from under the hood. "Figures they'd get one that was practically dead!" he muttered, slapping the steering wheel in frustration. With one last gasp, the car died completely. A cacophony of car horns behind them rang out like a symphony. "We can't help it!" Kate screamed out the window at them. She climbed out of the car and started kicking the tires in frustration. "Why can we not get anywhere near to them!?" she screamed as loud as she could.

"I think I can see the resort now," Mrs. Clark pointed to the Walley World hotel, just visible in the distance, "We're not that far off..."

"But we don't have time, Corinne!" Kate screamed at her, "By the time we get there now, they'll...!"

There came a blaring of more horns. A motorcade with police escort was trying to go around the traffic jam. "Stop, stop, we need help!" Kate ran up to it, waving her arms wildly. The leading police cruisers went right by her, but the limousine in the middle of the motorcade came to a stop next to her. The rear window rolled down. "Can I help you folks?" none other than Roy Walley himself stuck his head out the window.

"Mr. Walley, thank God, just the person we needed," Kate breathed a sigh of relief, "We need a ride to your hotel; it's being robbed, and our children are in there, trying to stop it," she gestured at the other parents, "And if you know a good doctor, please get one; we have a pregnant woman too," she pointed to Mrs. Ostrowski, hopping up and down in the middle of the road.

"Robbery? Let me see here," frowning, Walley picked up the phone in his limo and dialed a number. The frown slowly got deeper. "There doesn't seem to be anyone on duty at the security desk," he mused softly, "You might be on to something, miss. Hop on in," he opened the limo's door, "The rest of you, get in the vans," he waved the other parents into other vehicles in his motorcade.

"Thank you, you're a lifesaver, Mr. Walley," Peter commended him, jumping into the limo with his wife and the Ostrowskis, "And by the way, it's an honor to meet you face to face; we always take our kids to see your films when they come out."

"Good to know you're devoted fans. That's why I'm here in Las Vegas tonight, for Jorinde and Joringal's premiere. But how did you know something's going on?" Walley asked them.

"It's a long story," Kate took a deep breath, "It all started two nights ago. Our kids were going on a field trip..."

* * *

"What took you so long?" Kevin asked the rest of his friends as they came through the eighth floor door.

"Last minute traps to set up to buy us time to get here," Nate huffed.

"OK, this is the home stretch then," Kevin activated his walkie-talkie again. "OK Martin, we're just about done; call the cops now," he instructed him, "Sidney, start heading up towards the roof, but use the west stairs," he told the bellboy.

"Better move, here comes the cavalry," Julian glanced through the door's window, seeing several enemies charging towards it.

"Then let's get in position for the beginning of the end," Kevin led them up the stairs. Below them, Harry finally crawled out from underneath the Marty Moose statue. "That's it, you little...!" he growled furiously, "Get up, Marv, Sammy," he hauled them up, "We gotta get him now!"

The eighth floor door burst open. "Did they put you guys through the wringer too?" Sam asked the arriving Lenny.

"What do you think!?" Lenny snapped, covered with tar and feathers, as was Burke and a number of the guards behind him. Others were missing part of their clothing, "These kids are evil!" the mob enforcer continued ranting, "I can't believe this job had to be wrecked this bad!"

"Maybe we should just give up, Mr. Burke," a tarred and feathered Les spoke up from the back of the group of guards, "Maybe we can pin the robbery on them and quit while we're ahead..."

"NO!" Burke shouted in his face, "I'm not giving up when I've come this far to get Roy Walley Entertainment! We're stopping them, getting the evidence they got of us, and proceeding as planned from there. I guess you didn't see where they went!?" he grilled the Wet Bandits.

"We're up here on the top floor," Kevin called down at that minute, "Better come and get us before we call the cops."

Snarling, several guards started charging up the stairs. "Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Harry raced up and caught up with them at the last landing before the final stairs to the top floor, "We know how this kid's mind works. He's got stuff set up here to get us!"

"Oh really!?" Stone was unconvinced.

"Watch and learn, big boy. Let's get him!" Harry shouted out loud and stomped hard in place. Moments later a paint can swung down. Harry ducked under it. "Ow, he took out some more teeth, Marv!" he howled in fake agony. He pointed to his partner. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll rip him apart for ya!" Marv shouted, stomping in turn. He ducked a second paint can. "YEEEEOOOOWWW! Right between the eyes!" he screamed, fighting to keep from laughing. He started up the stairs, but Harry caught him by the arm. "Well, we was just foolin' there; now let's get him!" he yelled. He and Marv stomped in place again, then ducked the pipe that swung down next. "OK, _now_ he's outta ammo," he told his allies, "Tear 'em limb from limb!"

Kevin took a deep breath at the sound of mass footsteps coming towards where he and the other children were standing at the topmost landing. "Everything set for after they fall?" he asked Ethan quickly.

"Sarah and I put it in place, and we made sure the blow would knock them down the gap into the right place," Ethan told him, taking hold of a set of ropes trailing down under the railing and handing one to Nate.

"Let's hope we get them all at once. Now!" Kevin joined the others in shoving a large steel I-beam salvaged from the construction site atop the currently finished hotel off the top railing. It swung down rapidly towards where the crooks were climbing. "Uh oh!" Marv just managed to whimper before he and the other men in front of the line were walloped hard in the face by the beam. The force of the blow knocked them backwards off their feet, and, just as Ethan had hoped, bowled everyone else behind them over. All the men were sent toppling over the railing and fell screaming at the top of their lungs down the gap between the stairs all the way back down to the ground floor. One by one, they hit the floor hard at the bottom of the stairs with loud groans that could be heard all the way up on the top floor landing. "OK then, fire one!" Kevin ordered Ethan, who yanked on one of the ropes, dumping over several vats rigged under the landing that sent gallons of paint splattering on top of the men below before they could react. "That all ya got, kid!?" came Harry's defiant but dazed shout upwards.

"Not at all. Fire two!" Kevin commanded Nate, who gleefully yanked his rope, releasing a ton of bricks down towards the men as well. Terrified shrieks briefly wafted up the shaft, followed by the loud thud of the bricks slamming hard on top of their victims. "Nope, he had more, Harry," came Marv's pained response to his partner below.

"And I've got this too. Fire three!" Kevin hefted a set of wire cutters and cut the I-beam loose from its ropes. It tumbled rapidly down the shaft out of sight, after which a tremendous bang and agonized groans rang out far below. "YES!" Kevin pumped his fist yet again. He high fived each of the children in turn. "All right, let's go to the roof," he told them, pushing open the door to the top floor, "With luck, the cops'll be here soon to wrap this up."


	19. A Large Flaw in the Plan

At the bottom of the stairs, the men groaned, stumbling around in the paint and bricks. Harry was the first to his feet. "THAT DID IT!" he shouted as loud as he could towards the ceiling, "THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW! I WAS JUST GONNA KILL HIM; NOW I'M GONNA KILL HIM AND CHOP HIM INTO LITTLE PIECES, AND I DON'T CARE IF I GET EXECUTED BUFFET STYLE FOR IT!"

"Good luck getting your hands on him," a guard groaned nearby, stumbling to his feet, "I've had enough; I'm out of here."

"Me too," another got up and ran for the door.

"Nobody's leavin'!" Harry snapped at him, "We're all in this together!"

"Oh yeah!? Well I value my health and safety, and I've had it with being beaten to a pulp by these kids!" the first guard shot back, "Go ahead and keep trying to catch them, but we've had enough, haven't we, guys?"

More than a few guards nodded in agreement. "Anyone who leaves now is fired!" Burke warned them all, getting to his feet, "I'm dead serious, men!"

"Stick it, Burke," one of the guards told him off, "Roy Walley Entertainment belongs in the Walley family, I can see it now."

About half the guards walked out the door, not looking back. "Sorry, sir, but I've had enough too," Les rose up to leave, "Being tarred and feathered is one thing, but pinning everything on the Walleys isn't worth this," he gestured at the paint and bricks around them.

"You can kiss that seat on the board goodbye if you walk, Murphy!" Burke warned him furiously.

"As I was saying, sir, being on the board's not worth going through this," Les defiantly pointed at his ruined suit, "I'm telling Roy everything when he comes in, and..."

He was cut off as Stone abruptly smashed the handle of his semi-automatic across the back of his head, sending Les crumpling to the floor. "Thank you, Mr. Stone, I knew I can could on you," Burke commended the head of security.

"So what're we standin' around here for, then!? Up, up, get up there and get them!" Harry waved his arms wildly at the twenty or so guards that remained. "Come on, guys, get with it, double time, double time!"

He wiped the paint off with his scarf as best he could, then tossed it aside, followed by his equally ruined gloves; he wasn't going to take the chance of being unable to shoot someone in the clutch with sticky hands this year. "Marv, on yer feet; we're gonna skin him alive now!" he hauled his partner up out of the paint.

"Anyone catch that steamroller's license plate?" Marv droned in a daze.

"Marv, how many fingers!?" Harry thrust four in Marv's face. "Uh...sixteen?" Marv guessed.

"Close enough. Let's go," Harry pushed Marv towards the stairs. He barreled up them three at a time, muttering under his breath out loud all the way. "Stay here and watch they don't come down behind our backs, Fingers," he shouted at the safecracker when he rushed by him on the stairs. Still frozen in cement, Fingers, certainly unable to do anything but stay there, merely grunted. Soon they'd all reached the top again. "Wait, wait," Harry grabbed Stone's hand before he could grab the door to the top floor. He fingered the knob carefully. It wasn't hot. "Stand clear," he called to everyone. He threw the door open and jumped against the wall. A barrage of golf balls from a launcher flew harmlessly over the railing. "All right, get 'em!" he shouted once the golf balls stopped. Growling, Stone charged through the door...

...his leg in the process hitting a pole that was propping up a shelf built over the door. This knocked the pole down and making the shelf collapse, dropping half a dozen bowling balls from the bowling alley downstairs onto his skull. Moaning, Stone collapsed to the floor before he could vault a wall of suitcases that had been set up beyond the door. "Good work, pal; ya diffused another one," Harry commended him, "OK, CHAAARRRRRRGGGGE!"

The rest of the villains rushed past Stone and leaped over the wall of suitcases...landing straight onto the sea of tacks the children had spread all over the floor behind it. And most of them weren't wearing shoes anymore. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!" they all screamed in unison, falling to the floor and clutching their feet. "This is ridiculous!" Sam bellowed in rage, "What I went through with that other kid was nothing compared to this! This is a nightmare...!"

"And this is total war now! Show yourself, ya little jerk!" Harry roared, looking around for any sign of Kevin.

"We're over here, you morons. Come and get us," came Kevin's voice from the door to the roof. "Nowhere left to run, kid!" Harry charged towards it, "Yer gonna wish ya was never born when I get through with ya now!"

* * *

"Tape recorder's rolling," Sarah crested the stairs to join the other children on the roof beneath the scaffolding of the additional floors under construction.

"OK, stand clear," Kevin waved her off the steps. Moments later, the tool chest tied to the doorknob lurched down the stairs with a loud clattering of tools. "Three," he started counting down, "two, one..."

A loud crashing sound and more cries rang out below. "Never fails," Kevin nodded in satisfaction at this trap working right for the second year in a row. "All right, Sidney," he turned to the bellboy behind them, "We'll need you for the final trap. Stay hidden till they're all on the line, then let them have it after we start on our end. Once they're down, hit the fireworks for the cops' benefit."

"You just be careful down there," Sidney told them worriedly, "Once you're down there, I won't be able to help you."

"We'll do our best. OK guys, let's go," Kevin waved them towards Marty's fireworks line once more. "Hate that we have to do this again," Ethan quivered in fear at the higher drop down they were facing now.

"Would you rather face those guys?" Julian pointed back at the sound of angry footsteps stomping up the stairs to the roof behind them, "And funny someone who likes space so much hates heights."

"Well, the cosmos are interesting, but I like to keep both feet on the ground..."

"Just like last night, I'll be right behind you, OK?" Kevin maneuvered Ethan's hands towards the wire again. "Now just don't look down, and you'll be back on solid ground in less than a minute."

"No problem there," Ethan's eyes were now tightly shut. "All right, here we go," Kevin took a deep breath and pushed off down the wire once more. He himself looked at the sky, not wanting to take the chance of being paralyzed by looking down. In no time, they had landed safely on the roof of the auxiliary building again. "We're OK now," Kevin told Ethan, who breathed a sigh of deep relief, "Now are you sure we doused the line enough?"

"Probably," Ethan nodded, "There'll only be one way to find out, though, and that's when they're on it."

With a low thump, Nate landed next to them. "So where are the cops!?" the new arrival asked out loud, glancing at Las Vegas Boulevard for currently non-existent police cars, "I don't think it should take this long to get here from when we called them."

"Let's just hope they're on their way," Kevin rationalized, hoping the police were indeed coming at the moment, as they were now down to their last trap. "OK, Martin," he radioed Walley's son again, waving the remaining children down the line as well, "Bring the barge into position..."

* * *

"When we get our hands on ya, kid, all the king's horses and all the king's men ain't gonna be able to put ya back together again!" a furious Marv yelled, following Harry closely up the stairs to the roof, "And the same goes for all yer other homies too; it's gonna be a bloodbath like ya can't imagine now!"

He reached past Harry and shoved the now closed door to the roof open. "Where'd they go!?" he shouted, glancing around wildly.

"We're down here, you big dumb horse's rear end," came Kevin's taunting shout from over the side, "Better catch us quick before we call the cops."

The villains all ran to the ledge and glanced down at the children on the roof of the building below. "Send some men down and cut them off," Burke ordered Stone, "We can't let them get off the property."

Stone nodded and waved about five of the remaining guards to follow him. "OK, the rest of ya, follow me," Harry started climbing over the ledge, "We'll try and force 'em into a squeeze play here."

"Are you insane, Harry?" Sam protested, "I'm not crawling out on that!"

"What, are you chicken, Sammy!? Come on!" Harry was already climbing down the line. "Marv, get out here."

"I don't know, Harry. Remember the last couple years at this part?" Marv gulped at the steep drop below them.

"Marv, this is steel cable," Harry gestured at it, "He can't cut it or set it on fire. Now come on!"

Whimpering like a baby, Marv grabbed hold of the line, but chose to crawl along the top of it rather than hang underneath it like Harry and everyone climbing on behind him was doing. "Move it, Marv; you're holding up the line!" an impatient Lenny shouted at him. Marv only answered with a fearful yelp at the drop below them.

Down on the smaller building, Kevin watched the men get on the line one at a time. "Is it coming?" he asked Danielle, who was keeping watch on the manmade river below.

"Looks like it's just about in position now," Danielle told him. Kevin glanced down to see a barge floating in place right underneath the line. It came to a sudden stop. "Good," he nodded in satisfaction, "Now we just have to wait for the right moment."

He took his place by the end of the line and waited. Finally, when Harry had gone a little over the halfway point, he nodded. "OK Sidney, now," he radioed the bellboy back atop the hotel tower. He dug out a match, right as he heard Lenny exclaim out on the line, "Say Harry, do you smell that? It's smells an awful lot like..."

Kevin struck the match against the stone roof. "Hey guys," he called jovially up at the villains, "Happy New Year."

He touched the match to the wire. Instantly, the propane they'd poured on it ignited. "GO BAAAAAAAAAAACCCKKK!" Harry's scream of terror rang out loud enough to be heard all the way up the Strip. The leader of the Wet Bandits Gang spun around on the wire and tried to retreat from the now advancing flames, but Marv, shrieking louder than a peanut whistle in terror, was frozen in place and refusing to move. The guards at the end of the line started clambering back towards the main hotel, but a burst of flames at the other end of the wire now started traveling towards them as well. Sidney had set the squeeze play in action, Kevin knew with a smile. "OK, get your cameras ready," he told his partners, leaning against the edge of the roof, "This is the big finish."

He snapped a photo himself of the men frantically bunching together, trying to escape the oncoming flames from each side. Some were climbing all over each other in terror, but this was doing them no good at all. Finally, the flames reached the middle of the line, forcing them to let go in unison. All of them started falling the twenty odd stories to the river, screaming at the top of their lungs all the way down. "Five," Kevin started counting down out loud, "four, three, two, one..."

He swished his arm down the moment the men landed hard on the barge. Loud snaps rang out, punctuated by more ear-splitting screams. "YES!" Kevin high-fived everyone else. The mousetraps they'd set up on the barge had made for the perfect topper. "All right, that's it. Let's get out of here," he told them, rushing for the stairs down to the ground.

"So now what?" Sarah asked him, huffing to keep up.

"Find a safe place to stay until the cops do get here. Then we'll give them the evidence, and let them take these guys..." Kevin came to a sudden stop at the foot of the stairs and gasped in fear. Their path was now blocked by at least a dozen guards, each with their guns leveled right at them. "Thought you outsmarted us, didn't you?" Stone was glaring coldly at them, his own gun trained right on Kevin, "Well, the game's not over yet, kids."

He grabbed Kevin roughly by the collar and dragged him off the stairs. His associates grabbed the other children and started dragging them towards the river, where the rest of the villains were staggering towards shore, now covered from head to toe in mousetraps. "We've got them, Mr. Burke," Stone called to the chairman of the board.

"Excellent work, Mr. Stone. Kill them now!" a furious Burke ordered.

"Wait till we're there. Gimme him," his face plastered with carnal rage, Harry stormed over, snatched Kevin out of Stone's hands, threw him to the ground, and pointed his gun straight between his eyes. "Ya thought ya were gonna win again, kid!? Well, ya ain't that lucky, and there ain't no old geezers around to save ya now this time!" he bellowed furiously, "The war's finally over, kid," he cocked the gun and put his hand on the trigger, "and you lose...!"


	20. No Place Like Home for the Holidays

"DROP THAT GUN, MISTER!" came a new voice from behind them. Kevin's heart leaped in excitement. Could it possibly be...?

"Mom..." he breathed in delight. Sure enough, there she was, a few feet away, a gun leveled right at Harry. Harry burst into laughter upon seeing her. "Look boys, Mommy McCallister wants to play vigilante!" he snickered to his cronies, many of whom had the rest of the children at gun or knifepoint too.

"Take your hands off my son right now!" Kate warned him furiously.

"Oh no, lady, YOU put it down, or sonny boy's dead meat!" Harry threatened, pressing his gun right against Kevin's temple, "'Cause I know you ain't got what it takes to shoot me, and as you can see, you're way outnumbered," he gestured at the other villains, "And if you even try to shoot me, I'll take you out too!"

"YOU drop your gun, or I'll fill you so full of holes they'll be using your head as a colander!" Kate bellowed, cocking her gun, "Now this is your last warning: let my son go!"

"I'll kill him, McCallister, I swear it!" Harry hauled Kevin off his feet and held him in front of his face as a shield.

"No you won't!" it was Peter arriving now, also armed. He took his place alongside his wife. "We're more than prepared to take all of you out if you don't let our kids go now!" he warned all the villains.

"That's right, we are," came Mr. Clark's voice. Kevin's spirits rose even more to see the other parents arriving on the scene as well-and to hear the wail of sirens approaching in the distance and the sputtering of what he assumed was a police helicopter overhead. "The cops are on their way, you cowards," Mr. Clark continued, leveling his own gun at Stone, who had a wide-eyed Julian in his hands, "And those we already met were more than happy to let us have some spare weapons to help our kids. So are you going to let them go, or is this going to be rough!?"

"Uh, Harry, I don't like this...!" Marv whispered nervously to his partner.

"Stand your ground, ya wimp!" Harry barked back at him. "I wanna see all yer guns on the ground on the count of three, or everybody here dies!" he warned the parents, "One...two...!"

And then, from out of nowhere, a sledgehammer conked him hard on the head. With an agonized groan, Harry released his grip on Kevin and toppled forward onto his face. A loud Tarzan yell rang out from above. Kevin's heart leaped higher to see Sidney swinging on a cable overhead like Indiana Jones. The bellboy dropped another sledgehammer on Marv's head, making him groan and release Nate, before leaping to the ground and delivering Akido kicks and blows to burglars and guards left and right. The parents also rushed forward and started brawling with the villains. Kevin rushed to safety away from the fighting with the other children. "Now that's what I call a cavalry appearance," he said with a smile.

The wail of sirens got even louder. Police cars were streaming onto the Walley property. "Over here, there they are," Sarah ran over and waved them towards where the fighting was. Police swarmed out of the cruisers and rushed towards the fracas. "OK folks, we can take it from here," the apparent leader of the police announced out loud to the parents, who largely let up their assault on the villains, "We can...miss, miss, it's all right," he said strongly to Kate, who didn't hear him, as she was busy punching Harry hard with angry shrieks.

"Kate, Kate, it's over," Peter pulled her off Harry, "The police can handle it from here. Are you calm?"

"I'M PERFECTLY CALM, PETER!" she bellowed. She took a deep breath and told the lead sergeant, more calmly, "These men kidnapped all of us earlier; they were just about to kill our children before we stopped them."

"Oh no, they're the ones ya gotta arrest, officer!" Harry shot back, pointing accusingly at Kate, "They assaulted us after their kids put us through the wringer first! I'll press...!"

"Will someone explain what just happened here?" Roy Walley himself appeared on the scene.

"Mr. Walley, glad you're here. These men worked with Mr. Burke to rob your vault and frame your son so Mr. Burke could take over the company," Kevin explained to him.

"That's a lie, Roy; this kid's a menace. He attacked all of us...!" Burke started to stammer.

"Well it doesn't look good for you at the moment, Chuck, given this boy's statement matches what I've heard so far, so I hope you can prove yourself innocent," Walley glared at him.

"I don't think so, Mr. Walley. Take a listen," Kevin gleefully pulled out his Talkboy and played back Burke's incriminating conversation from the previous night. "And I also have photos of the robbery in progress," he handed them towards the sergeant, who took them and looked them over. "Yep, this looks pretty airtight to me," he nodded, "Cuff them and read them their rights, boys," he told his men.

"This is all a mistake! Roy, I've been set up here, you have to believe me...!" Burke desperately pleaded to Walley.

"Chuck," Walley leaned coldly in his face, "You're fired. And so are all you men if you went along with him," he growled at the guards, who hung their heads in shame, "Get them out of here," he told the police.

"I swear I know nothing of these men!" Burke pointed desperately at the escaped criminals as he was handcuffed and led away, "You have to believe me...!"

"Oh shut up!" Sam shouted after him, "It's all over! And I knew I should have stayed in Joliet...!"

"Well, Samuel Robert McGurk, Joliet's where you're going back to very soon," the lead sergeant told him with a grin, handcuffing Sam, "So you won't have to worry about leaving it again." He walked over to where the Wet Bandits were being handcuffed. "Harold Sylvester Lyme, Marvin Quentin Murchens, you're both charged with attempted robbery, attempted homicide, endangering minors, conspiracy to commit escape, assaulting an officer of the law, and illegal use of firearms in a public place."

"That's the most ridiculous bunch of charges I've ever heard!" Marv protested, "What else're ya gonna try and pin on us, square dancin' in a roundhouse!?"

"Shut up, Marv!" Harry bellowed, kicking his partner, "They just might, ya know!"

"Actually, Sarge, we also got their fingerprints two nights ago from a Lowe's robbery in Denver," another officer nearby spoke up, "Around ten thirty, and the prints are clearly theirs, so that's another charge they can be nailed with."

"That's a lie!" Marv countered, "We was robbin' the WalMart across town then!"

"Oh my God, SHUT UP, MARV!" Harry kicked him again, "It's Central Park all over again...!"

"What is, Harry?" Marv asked, confused. Harry screamed in frustration. "OK you guys, let's go," the nearest officers hauled the burglars towards the nearest unoccupied cruiser, "You'll have a nice long trip back to Chicago to work your problems out."

"And you can add kidnapping to those charges too; they grabbed us here earlier in the day and held us all at gunpoint," Peter ran after them, glaring at the burglars, "And they tried to kill our son three years in a row now. So we'll be pressing full charges against them when this comes to trial; I don't want them to see the light of day again."

"Don't worry, Mr. McCallister, with all the charges these two are facing now, it's safe to say this is the last you'll ever hear of the so-called Wet Bandits," the sergeant assured him.

"Actually, officially, we ain't the Wet Bandits no more; now, we're officially the Sticky Bandits," Marv pointed out as the officers started loading him into the cruiser, "Ya got that, bud? S-T-I-K-E, Sticky!"

"SHUT YER CAKEHOLE AND GET IN THE CAR!" livid, Harry kicked his partner once more. "You're gonna be hearin' from my attorney, pal!" he threatened Peter, straining to avoid being loaded into the cruiser himself, "I got yer little brat dead to rights on over eighty counts of aggravated assault, and every judge in the country'll back me up against him! When I get through with ya, ya ain't gonna have a cent left; you and yer whole damn family's gonna be livin' under a bridge wishin' he'd never...!"

He shrieked in agony as the sergeant accidentally slammed the cruiser's door on his leg, which Harry had foolishly left hanging outside. Shaking his head, but smirking, the sergeant gently nudged the leg into the cruiser and closed the door properly. "We'll be back to get your official statements once we have them locked up, so don't anyone go anywhere," he told the civilians, climbing into the front of the burglars' cruiser. Kevin grinned and waved goodbye to his foes as all the police cars pulled away with their sirens roaring, hoping this would finally be the last time they'd cross paths.

"Kevin," came his mother's voice behind him. He slowly turned to see her squatting down at his level with an overwhelmed and relieved expression. "I'm sorry, Mom..." he started to say.

"No need to be sorry, honey," she told him, extending her arms, "No one did anything wrong this time, especially not you."

Breaking into his largest smile yet, Kevin ran to her and hugged her hard, relieved she'd made it to find him-how, he didn't know, but at the moment, he didn't care how. "I love you, Mom," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you so much, Kevin," she said between deep tears. Kevin wiped his own tears away. He turned towards the sounds of happy sobbing and watch his classmates' families embrace them again. "I'm so sorry, Mom, I don't hate you," Nate sobbed happily into his mother's shoulder next to him, "I didn't mean anything I said before I got on the plane..."

"Oh Nate, Nate, Nate," she gushed, hugging him close, "I don't know what your father and I would have done if anything had happened to you. You're the most precious thing in our lives, and not even your new sister could take your place for us."

Kevin grinned, happy the Ostrowskis had found peace. He turned to his right to watch Mrs. Tafton hugging Sarah close, and the Clarks embracing Julian to their right, Mr. Clark seeming to tell his son that, going forward, he'd be more supportive of Julian's writing. More happy shrieks made him turn to his left, where the Rhodeses were embracing Ethan. "...sorry if we'd made life miserable for you at all," Mr. Rhodes was apologizing to his son, "But we'd both have just died if you'd been..."

"So are you two...?" Ethan asked hopefully.

"Let me put it this way, honey," Mrs. Rhodes pulled him close, "Even if your father and I can't make it work together with each other, that doesn't mean we still can't be a family, and that we can't love you. No matter what happens from here on, you'll always come first for us..."

"Let me have a turn, Kate," Kevin felt his father pry him out of his mother's hands. "Thank God you're all right," his father gushed, hugging him close, "Those men told us what you'd done to stop them from robbing our house, and that toy store last year, Kevin..."

"They did?" Kevin frowned, "Well, I can explain, Dad..."

"There's no need to explain anything," Peter pulled back and looked at his son with deep pride, "We're so proud of you, Kevin. That took a lot of courage to stop them like that...a little unusual, but very brave by you nonetheless."

"Yep, it sure was, and so was what he did this year," Sidney approached as well, "Your kid's one in a million, Mrs. McCallister."

"Have we met?" Kate frowned, "I could swear you look exactly like that clarinet player I caught a ride home with two years ago..."

"Clarinet? Nope, I don't play clarinet. Sidney Evangeline, pleasure to meet you both," Sidney shook both their hands.

"And thanks for the save there, too," Kevin told him warmly.

"Didn't I say no kids were going to suffer tonight on my watch?" Sidney said with raised eyebrows, "Well," he looked around at the families all embracing, "Glad to see everyone got a happy ending in the end..."

But Kevin noticed one sad-faced figure at the edge of the crowd who had no family at the moment. He bustled over towards her. "I'm sorry, Danielle, I..." he started to say.

"I know," she said tearfully, "But what could I have expected? I'm nothing to him anyway, not compared to his job. Even if he did get their ransom request, there's no way he..."

"DANIELLE!" came a sudden cry from the edge of the Walley property. Kevin only then realized the helicopter that had been flying overhead had come to a landing in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard-and a man was sprinting quickly towards their group. Could it possibly be, he wondered...?

"Daddy!?" Danielle seemed stunned to see him. With a low sob, she rushed towards him. The two of them met and hugged hard in the middle of the courtyard. "Daddy, how did you...why did you...!?" she stammered to say.

"When I got that call that some creeps wanted money for you, I hopped the first plane back; I ran a check with the police and saw you'd used the credit card here, so I suspected this was where you were. The police scanner on the helicopter filled me in on the rest. Oh my God, my baby, are you all right!?" he squeezed her close.

"I am now, Daddy," she was overwhelmed with joy, "I thought you didn't care..."

"Well, maybe it took the prospect of you being ransomed for me to see more clearly, but I know now I care for you more than anything, Danielle. I love you so much..." he started kissing her all over. Kevin grinned again; now at last, everyone had a happy ending.

"You know, though," he heard Nate whisper in his ear, "How convenient for him to show up just now like this. It's almost like someone tried to force through a happy ending for the two of them here."

"Kind of," Kevin shrugged, "But it's Christmas, so why knock it, I say? And if Scrooge could turn around completely in one night, why can't anyone else?"

"Folks," came Roy Walley's voice. The media mogul was approaching with his son. "Martin here's filled me in on the whole story," he pointed to him, "And I can't thank you kids enough for what you've done for me and my company," he bent down to their level with a smile.

"Well, we knew that money deserved to go to charity, Mr. Walley, so it was the least we could do," Kevin told him, "We'd be glad to clean up the hotel for you now that it's over."

"Well, you wouldn't have to do that. I do think you kids do deserve a reward, though. So, folks," Walley turned to the rest of the families, "For starters, I'd be willing to offer you all free lodging for tonight here at the resort, plus front row seats for the premiere of Jorinde and Joringal when we get everything cleaned up. And, for all of you, a seven day all expenses paid trip out to the park in California for each of you."

"A free trip to Walley World!? Thank you, Mr. Walley," Sarah was excited.

"Thank YOU," he told her, smiling, "So, if you're all set and everyone's OK now, why don't you go on in, and we'll have whoever on the staff that's still on the level set you people up in the best rooms we've got, then get you in place for the premiere once we're all clear."

"OK then, everyone, come along with me; I guess I am back on staff, right?" Sidney turned to Martin, who nodded, "Follow me, then,"

"We do have some other people with us; they're waiting where those crooks took us," Peter informed Sidney, "So I hope there is enough rooms for everyone..."

"Hey, for this little guy here, we'll make all the room we can," Sidney rubbed Kevin's shoulders, "I owe him a lot too."

"Glad to have helped. And I know you made your kids proud tonight, wherever they are now," Kevin winked at him, "Just try and be the big father figure to all the kids here, and I think you'll still make them proud."

"I'll do my best," Sidney told him with a smile. "And it looks like you guys'll have a lot of traveling to do in the near term, since Kevin here and his friends also won that trip to Space Camp on Splat Zone," he told Peter and Kate eagerly.

"Oh...oh, lovely, another vacation. Two vacations to take we weren't expecting," Kate shot her husband a nervous look, "Two more rolls of the dice..."

"Relax, Mom, what ELSE could go wrong?" Kevin pointed out to her.

"That's what I'm afraid of, honey..."

There came a sudden loud cry from Mrs. Ostrowski, who doubled over. "Lisa, is this it!?" her husband grabbed her by the arm to keep her from falling.

"It...is...Mitch...get a doctor...!" she managed to say between gritted teeth.

"Doctors, over here, pregnant woman!" Mr. Ostrowski called to some of the medics conversing with policemen nearby. The medics rushed over and carried Mrs. Ostrowski to a private place alongside the hotel hidden by bushes. Kevin turned away himself, not wanting to witness the miracle of birth directly just yet. He noticed, however, Nate watching with intensity. After about five minutes of cries and grunts, the wail of a baby broke out from behind the bushes. "Oh my God, oh...!" Mr. Ostrowski was overcome with emotion, "Oh, she's beautiful. Nate, come on over and look at your new sister," he called to his son.

Nate approached the bushes cautiously. Moments later, he emerged into sight, holding the baby in his arms-and he was grinning. "She's pretty cute, Nate," Kevin finally dared to approach, "I think you'll make a great big brother."

"Maybe I will," Nate smiled down at his new sister, "You know, she doesn't look half bad after all. Maybe I can make this work after all."

"Like your mother and I said, too, you'll always be special as our first child, Nate," his father bent down and hugged him from behind.

"Well, let's get you folks to the hospital, so we can take care of anything the child might need," the medics were wheeling Mrs. Ostrowski on a gurney towards one of the ambulances. Grinning, Nate handed the baby back to his mother and followed his father towards the ambulance. Kevin felt his mother's hand on his shoulder. "I knew Nate would warm up to it once the baby did come," he told her without looking up.

"I'm glad he did too. Come on," Kate took him by the hand and led him after the remaining families towards the hotel, "Let's go check in; after everything we've both been through, a movie and a long night's sleep sounds real good right now..."

Behind them, Walley grinned as he watched the families disappear into the hotel for the night. "Very nice people. And I love a happy ending," he confided in Martin, "And now we have a happy ending too, it looks like, since it appears the person I trust most is going to be the new head of Walley Entertainment after all."

"I'm...I'm glad I've done well enough for you, Dad," Martin looked overwhelmed.

"You've always done well enough for me, Martin," Walley hugged him close. "You know," he continued, his gaze falling back to the hotel door, "Kevin's family told me on the way here that he'd done exactly what he did tonight to those thieves before, actually..."

"Yeah, he told me that too, Dad," Martin nodded, "So you know what I think...?"

"Yes I do, Son," Walley was smiling, "I think we might have found an idea for a new blockbuster, if that young man's willing to let us film it..."

* * *

"So, I'd like to propose a toast to one and all," Peter raised his champagne glass to everyone gathered around the McCallisters' dining room table the following evening, "To family, which is never more important than at Christmastime, and to friends old and new."

"To us," all the available members of the Ostrowski, Clark, Rhodes, Lindhurst, Tafton, and McCallister families (excepting Buzz, who upon their return to Chicago had been immediately sent to the attic by his parents to begin his grounding for the next few months) raised their glasses in turn. Kevin lowered the glass of apple juice he'd had instead and took a sip. While Las Vegas had been largely fun overall, he couldn't deny that the best part about this trip, as with most other trips, was coming home.

He noticed the rest of his classmates standing by the front window, watching the Christmas Day evening snow coming down outside (which was another reason Kevin was glad to be home, as Christmas Day was never right without snow). Unnoticed by any of the adults, he walked in and joined them. "Well, we did it," he told them with a grin, "We got justice served, and we get to spend Christmas at home with family. What could be better?"

"Well, it was wonderful to get a taste of the better life in Las Vegas," Sarah did seem a bit glum to be back home, "Now I'll have to go back to our broken-down house on the wrong side of the tracks and pick up where I left off..."

"I don't think so, Sarah. You've already moved beyond that," Kevin told her, putting an arm around her, "You proved in Vegas you're more a princess than a pauper, and don't anyone tell you otherwise. And I'd be glad to make sure anyone who doesn't get that does, because I don't forsake my friends."

"Thank you for everything, Kevin," she hugged him close, "You're the best friend I could have ever asked for."

"Mine too," Danielle hugged him as well, "Thanks to you, I finally feel like the richest girl in town, Kevin, now that I actually have a friend...several good friends," she smiled at the other boys.

"Well, I won't say it was easy at times, Danielle, but we were glad to have you along in the end," Nate told her, rubbing her shoulder, "I have to thank you too, Kevin, for being there for me when I needed someone," he told him, "I might still be stuck in Vegas and have gone through who knows what if you hadn't..."

"That's what best friends do, Nate. And like I said, the best part was that I got to share the experience of saving the day with you this time," Kevin gave him a high five as the phone rang behind them.

"So, what do we do for an encore, then?" Ethan asked innocently.

"Who knows?" Julian shrugged, "In a way, I hope there isn't a next time. Still one interesting thing is, look at us," he looked among them, "the rich girl, the smart boy, the girl who's the outsider...funny enough, we've kind of formed the kind of group Andy's started hanging out with lately. Crazy, huh?"

"I guess," Kevin mused, "Who knows how any of these things work...?"

"Kevin, Alex is on the phone for you," Kate leaned into the room.

"Oh. be right back, then," Kevin told the others. He took the phone off his mother. "Merry Christmas, Alex; hope you're feeling better," he told his other friend, "Did you see us on Splat Zone?"

"I sure did, Kevin," Alex told him, sounding somewhat excited, "But before you tell me about that, have I got something to tell you that happened here while you were gone that you won't believe..."

THE END


End file.
